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Full text of "Bay Area Reporter, Volume 16, Number 26, 26 June 1986"

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BAV AREA RgOUTHt 

VOL XVI NO. 26 JUNE 26, 1986 1528 15TH STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 TELEPHONE: 415/861-5019 







































No PWA Speakers 
At Parade Rally 

People With AIDS Seen As 'Separatist;' 
Committee Wants 'Words of Unification' 

by Allen White 

No person with AIDS will be allowed on the stage at the 1986 
Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Celebration. The celebration co¬ 
chairs say they are “using a new philosophy” to exclude 
“segmented and separatist” speakers “only addressing 
issues.” 

The People With AIDS Alliance met Friday, June 22 and 
claim they were misled and deceived by Parade Board Presi¬ 
dent Ken Jones. Saturday they issued a statement stating they 
were “disillusioned and saddened that a person with AIDS or 
ARC will not be allowed to speak.” 


“We feel we were not fully ap¬ 
prised of the decision-making 
process to select the speakers 
and, in fact, were presented with 
a list of four speakers and 
assured that these were the only 
people making presentations,” 
said the PWA Alliance statement. 


“We are committed to insur¬ 
ing that people with AIDS and 
ARC are visible and active in the 
entire lesbian and gay com¬ 
munity. 

“Because AIDS impacts our 
entire community and people 



Richard Rector (Photo: Rink) 


with AIDS and ARC are, and will 
continue to be, a valuable part of 
the lesbian and gay community, 
and because the celebration 
represents our entire community, 
we feel that our presence on the 
stage is imperative,” they said. 

In spite of what they felt was 
“an inadequate consideration of 
our participation as members of 
the speaker’s platform, we are 
committed to working with the 
San Franciscq Lesbian and Gay 
Freedom Parade and Celebration 
Committee to insure that our in¬ 
volvement will be more visible 
from the stage in the future,” said 
the group’s statement. 

It became apparent about two 
weeks ago that the exclusion of a 
person with AIDS would surface 
as a thorny issue. Staff members 
of AIDS organizations and peo¬ 
ple with AIDS began contacting 
members of the celebration com¬ 
mittee and gay community 
leaders. 

A week ago the Lesbian and 
Gay Freedom Parade Steering 
Committee met to discuss the 
issue. At the meeting it was decid¬ 
ed that there would be no change 
(Continued on page 35) 


Today 

Reaching for the stars is 
Rev. Janie Spahr, of 
Marin's Ministry of Light. 
Steve Warren interviews 
her, page 32. 

Mothertongue Readers' 
Theater is celebrating its 
tenth anniversary. Chiori 
Santiago has the details, 

page 62. 

Greg Day will make a run 
for the city Board of 
Education, reports Charlie 
Linebarger, page 20. 

Researchers debunk the 
Meese Commission por¬ 
nography report for shod ¬ 
dy methods, says George 
Mendenhall, page 26, 

Faeries and Witches 

gathered recently add Tom 
Bond was there, page 22. 



Medical researchers have found a decrease in the rate of AIDS virus infection. (Photo: Rink) 


AIDS Infection 
Drops Dramatically 
In San Francisco 

Slow in Spread of Epidemic 
Shows Radical Changes in Sex Behavior 

by Brian Jones 

The spread of AIDS in San Francisco has “declined 
dramatically,” according to a University of California at 
Berkeley study. Last year, three to five percent of gay men in 
San Francisco were newly infected with the AIDS virus. That 
compares to an infection rate of 18 percent a year before 1985. 

Half the gay men in San Francisco, 51 percent, now are in¬ 
fected, according to the extensive UC study. 

“This drop in the rate of AIDS transmission is directly link¬ 
ed to changes in sexual behavior,” said epidemiologist War¬ 
ren Winkelstein of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. 

(Continued on page 28) 


LaRouche: New Rally Cry 
For Gay Movement 

High Number of Valid Signatures Puts 
'AIDS Control' Measure Before Voters 

by George Mendenhall 

It appears that the LaRouche Initiative calling for the quarantine of anyone believed to be 
carrying the AIDS virus will be on the California ballot this November. As of June 20, state of¬ 
ficials were saying that the measure was all but certain to qualify for the ballot with over 75 per¬ 
cent of petition signatures being found valid. 

“Almost all the counties are in,” a secretary of state official told the Bay Area Reporter, “and 
the AIDS Control Initiative will evidently qualify to be on the November ballot.” Chief Deputy 
Tony Miller said the signature count was completed in all but three of California’s 58 counties— 
Los Angeles, Alameda, and San Diego. Gay activists, who have been organizing the campaign 
against the measure, are calling it the “LaRouche” initiative because the petitioning effort was 
launched by the followers of Lyndon LaRouche. 

BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 2 


'What does LaRouche believe? . . . Walter 
Mondale is an agent of the Soviet KGB . . . 
Henry Kissinger "sleeps with little boys" . . . 
Jews founded the Ku Klux Klan . . . 


Miller said he was surprised at 
the unusually high qualifying 
percentage—75 percent of the 
690,000 signatures submitted. 
He explained, “That count is 
unusually high for a petition cir¬ 
culated on the streets. They only 
needed 66 percent of the signa¬ 
tures submitted to get on the 
ballot. Los Angeles has 200,00 
signatures alone and unless they 
are totally fraudulent that would 
put them over the top.” The in¬ 
itiative needed 393,000 signa¬ 
tures to qualify. 

The “AIDS control” measure 
was written by Los Angeles area 
LaRouchians and would face 
court challenges if approved. It 


encourages the quarantining of 
people with AIDS, requires a 
reporting of all who test positive 
to HTLV-3 antibody and those 
“suspected” of having AIDS, as 
well as bars people with AIDS 
from employment in food and 
drink businesses and in health 
services. 

CAN VS. PANIC 

There are two statewide groups 
opposed to the initiative. They 
are similar in nature to those that f 
successfully defeated an intiative [ 
by former State Sen. John Briggs l 
in 1978 that would have barred 1 
gay teachers. California CAN is j 
(Continued on page 35) 



























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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 3 










Police Push Gets 
Kids Off Polk St. 

So, Teens Hang Out Elsewhere 
Until Heat Cools Down on Polk 

by Gregory Douthwaite 

Homeless youth are fleeing the Polk Street area following 
a police crackdown on prostitution, drugs, and curfew viola¬ 
tions in the neighborhood. Some are fleeing to other cities, 
such as Seattle and Los Angeles. Others are just keeping a 
lower profile, moving a few blocks away or hanging out in the 
Tenderloin, according to the staff of the Larkin Street Youth 
Center, which does outreach to Polk Street youth. 



The crackdown began last 
March, after merchants com¬ 
plained that kids hanging out on 
the street were ruining store busi¬ 
ness. Seven extra SFPD officers 
have been patrolling the area on 
foot every night from 7 p.m. to 
3 a.m. 

Police have been reportedly 
telling youth to “move along,” 
and are citing and arresting 
minors who violate the 11 p.m. 
curfew. 

The main objective of the po¬ 
lice action is to “herd the youth 
out of people’s sight,” according 
to Greg Day, who serves on the 
mayor’s task force on youth. 

Police say the crackdown has 
been a success. There are now 
fewer juveniles on Polk Street and 
merchants are pleased with the 
results, they say. Last week, they 
announced that the extra patrols 
would continue for another 60 
days. 

The decline in the numbers of 
street youth will last only as long 
as the increased police presence, 
said Day. “So long as the city is 
willing to spend millions to herd 
youth out of that area, they will 
go elsewhere,” he said. “But just 
telling them where they can and 
can’t stand doesn’t solve the 
problem of homeless youth. It’s 
a very temporary solution.” 

Day estimated that the sum¬ 
mer patrols will cost the city 
$100,000. “It’s very expensive, 
and doesn’t address the real 
problem,” he said. “Where are 
they going to go? There’s no 
place for them to go anyway. 


Most of them don’t have families 
they can return to.” 

Police have been “less than 
polite” in dealing with street 
youth, said Jed Emersen, direc¬ 
tor of Larkin Street Youth Center. 
But kids won’t file harassment 
complaints because they are on 
the street illegally, he said. 

Police have estimated that 
there are 1,000 to 2,000 homeless 
youth in San Francisco every day. 
Most are from California, and at 
least half are gay or bisexual, ac¬ 
cording to Day. 

Youth workers say the city is 
avoiding its responsibility to 
homeless youth. “Our policy is, 
‘Take a bus somewhere else,”’ 
said Johannes Troost, program 
director of Huckleberry House, a 
youth advocacy center. “Fein- 
stein’s stand is, ‘Why pay for kids 
from other areas?”’ he said. 

The real problem is the lack of 
long-term shelter and employ¬ 
ment for homeless youth, and 
that problem is not being ad¬ 
dressed, youth advocates say. The 
state Department of Social Ser- 
vics should be providing foster 
home placement for these youth, 
they say. 

Shelter is needed for at least 
one to six months to help kids get 
off the streets permanently, 
Troost said. Huckleberry House 
runs a shelter, but the maximum 
stay is three weeks. At the Dia¬ 
mond Street Youth Shelter, max¬ 
imum stay is 10 days. 

Police say most problems in 
Polk Gulch are not caused by 
youth but by young adults, 18 to 


22 years old. They say they have 
made an increased number of ar¬ 
rests: 225 people in two months 
this spring. They arrested or 
cited 80 people for drunkenness, 
20 for prostitution, and an un¬ 
disclosed number for narcotics 
violations in the area. 

According to police,, the 
crackdown has resulted in a 


reduction in crime. Rapes, rob¬ 
beries, serious assaults, and 
serious thefts have all declined in 
the area since last year. However, 
burglary and auto theft increas¬ 
ed even with the added patrols. 

The neighborhood is still a 
high-crime area, said police Cap¬ 
tain Thomas O’Donnell, head of 
the SFPD’s Northern Station. 


“But we are getting a handle on 
it,” he said. “Both the good guys 
and the bad guys know we’re 
there.” 

Another problem facing home¬ 
less youth is the lack of a daytime 
activity center. The Larkin Street 
Youth Center, one block off Polk 
Street, burned down last month. 
The center hopes to be relocated 
in another building in a few 
weeks. In the meantime, teens 
have no place to go. 

“This is not a good time to be 
making life difficult for these 
people,” said San Francisco Sup. 
Harry Britt. “Police have 
generally not dealt with this 
problem very well.” • 


Tickets for Cats 

Cable Car Awards has a limited 
number of tickets still available 
for the July 11 benefit perfor¬ 
mance of the award winning 
musical Cats at the Golden Gate 
Theatre. Beneficiaries are Com¬ 
ing Home Hospice and Gay 
Games II. 

Ticket prices are $65 in the 
orchestra section and $25 in the 
balcony. Orchestra and mez¬ 
zanine ticket holders will receive 
an invitation to the Gala Jellicle 
Ball and Cast Party at the Hyatt 
On Union Square after the per¬ 
formance. 

Tickets may be purchased by 
phone using VISA or Mastercard 
by calling (415) 826-2999 from 
9 a.m. until 9 p.m. or by mailing 
a check or money order to Cable 
Car Awards, Inc., Post Office Box 
1171, San Francisco, CA 94101. 

A portion of the ticket prices 
is tax deductible. • 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 4 


























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JULY 3RD 

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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 5 












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as mild as a shiver or hurtful as re¬ 
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Call 431-9227 for information. 


'Forward Together-No Turning 
Back' Is This Year's Theme 


by Allen White 

The 1986 Gay Fredom Day Parade, the largest event of its 
kind in the world, begins Sunday at 11 a.m. at the corner of 
Spear and Market Streets. The theme for this year’s parade 
and celebration is “Forward Together—No Turning Back.” 

Rainbow flags are flying the length of Market Street. The 
gay freedom flags flying from homes, businesses, and worn 
by gay men and lesbians signal the diversity of the gay com¬ 
munity and also the diversity of events planned for San Fran¬ 
cisco’s gay pride weekend. 


Two major dance parties are 
scheduled at the Giftcenter 
Pavilion. Sunday afternoon is the 
annual Gay Day Tea Dance. For 
the third consecutive year, 
Sylvester will provide the enter¬ 
tainment. Tickets are $12 in ad¬ 
vance at Headlines and $15 at the 
door. 

Saturday night at the Gift- 
center is the third annual Puttin’ 
On the Ritz dance party. The 
women only event starts at 
8:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 in ad¬ 
vance through BASS and $28 at 
the door. 


Western dancing continues 
through the weekend at High 
Chapparal, 2140 Market Street, 
and the Rawhide II on 7th Street 
near Howard. 

The annual gay music celebra¬ 
tion starts at 8 p.m. at the First 
Congregational Church on Fri¬ 
day and Saturday nights. There 
will be performances by the San 
Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and 
each evening a different lineup of 
lesbian and gay musical groups 
will perform. Tickets range from 
$7 through $13 on sale at Head¬ 
lines. 


Tonight “The AIDS Show: Ar¬ 
tists Involved with Death and 
Survival” will have its television 
premiere on KQED, Channel 9, 
at 9:30 p.m. There will be two 
receptions and parties at KQED 
sponsored by Frameline. Call 
431-9227 for information. Bonnie 
Hayes performs Thursday at the 
Baybrick Inn at 7 p.m. and Aldo 
Bell is at Buckley’s Bistro at 
9 p.m. 

On Friday night, the Mr. 
Drummer Finals take place at 
Trocadero Transfer. Country and 


Tom Ammiano’s “Wrists” 
continues at the Studio of Thea¬ 
tre Rhinoceros at 8. Call 
861-5079 for reservations. Tickets 
are $8. Larry Kramer’s controver¬ 
sial AIDS play, The Normal 
Heart is at the Berkeley Reper¬ 
tory Theater Saturday at 8 and 
Sunday at 2 and 7. The ticket in¬ 
formation number is 845-4700. 

The Tenth San Francisco In¬ 
ternational Lesbian and Gay Film 
Festival continues at the Roxie 
Cinema, 16th Street near Mis¬ 
sion, and Video Free America, 


The Fourth Annual Gay Com¬ 
edy Extravaganza begins at mid¬ 
night, Saturday night at the 
Castro Theatre. Entertainers in¬ 
clude Tom Ammiano, Suzy Ber¬ 
ger, Laurie Bushman, Marga 
Gomez, Doug Holsclaw, Kelly 
Kittell, Linda Morales, Mario 
Mondelli, Monica Palacios, Rom- 
anovsky and Phillips, Karen 
Ripley, and Danny Williams. 
Tickets are $6. 

On Sunday Glide Memorial 
Church will present its annual 
Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day 
service at 9 a.m. The Episcopal 
gay group, Integrity, will conduct 
a Mass at Spear and Folsom at 
10 a.m. The San Francisco Front¬ 
runners will have a pre-parade 
run from the Castro Theatre to 
the Embarcadero. Call 673-7303 
for information. The Golden 
Gate Business Association will 
sponsor a brunch at the McAllis¬ 
ter House. Tickets are $12. Call 
332-6000 for the required reser¬ 
vations. 

At the Green Room in the Vet¬ 
eran’s Memorial Building on Van 
Ness, the American Legion Alex¬ 
ander Hamilton Post 448 will 
present a party with no host bar 
starting at 1 p.m. No admission 
fee is required. 

The Baybrick Inn, 1190 Fol¬ 
som St., will hold its big Don’t 
Bring Around a Cloud to Rain on 
Our Parade party at 2 p.m. Esta 
Noche, the city’s premiere Latino 
bar at 3079 16th Street, opens at 
3 p.m. with a special show and 
dancing. The Trocadero Transfer 
tea party starts at 5 p.m. at 520 
4th St. The Living Sober Dance 
is at the Central YMCA at 220 
Golden Gate at 4 p.m. The cost is 
$ 6 . • 


Colorado Solon 
Quashes His Bill 
For Quarantine 

DENVER—This state’s con¬ 
troversial attempt to quarantine 
AIDS victims or persons “rea¬ 
sonably believed” to have AIDS, 
appears to have fallen by the way- 
side. Ironically, the quarantine 
bill’s author, State Rep. Dale 
Erickson, moved to kill HB-1290. 
Erickson said he quashed the 
measure because the Senate and 
the House of Representatives 
could not reach a compromise on 
two versions of the legislation. 

Erickson said the bill was 
orginally “an attempt to control 
and monitor those who had the 
HTLV-3 virus (sic) and an attempt 
through counseling to keep them 
from endangering the lives of 
others.” Erickson’s bill did not 
say that testing positive for 
HTLV-3 antibodies should not be 
construed as evidence of HTLV-3 
infection. 

Besides providing for counsel¬ 
ing, HB-1290 would have permit¬ 
ted the incarceration for 72 hours 
of anyone merely suspected of 
having AIDS or HTLV-3 while the 
person’s blood was tested for ei¬ 
ther condition. The bill also pro¬ 
vided for the isolation or quaran¬ 
tining of any person with AIDS 
or HTLV-3 who “endangers the 
health of others.” 

Some amendments were add¬ 
ed to the bill which Erickson did 
not like. Several due process 
clauses were added to allow some 
people a defense against ar¬ 
bitrary persecution under the 
bill. 


—The New York Native 



Sylvester will entertain again at the Giftcenter (Photo: Rink) 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 6 






















































KQED Forum 
Called a Charade 


Tiano Again Rebuffs Gay Pleas; 
Accused of Wasting Time In Meetings 

by Charles Linebarger 


Over 40 people gathered at KQED on June 19 for the long 
planned gay forum at which people from the community 
brought their grievances before the station’s Community 
Advisory Panel. Unfortunately, only three of the 14 members 
of the station’s panel were present. But KQED staff, from 
president Anthony Tiano, to TV director Nathan Katzman, 
radio manager Valena Williams, and radio programming 
director Carol Pierson, were present. The evening saw harsh 


words directed at KQED and 

Roberto Esteves, president of 
the Alice B. Toklas Democratic 
Club, began the evening’s discus¬ 
sion by drawing attention to the 
homophobic attacks gay people 
are increasingly finding them¬ 
selves subject to. “I think that 
with the increasing attacks, gays 
are feeling there is even more 
need for inclusion of gay people 
and gay programming at KQED 
and in Focus Magazine, especial¬ 
ly because of the frustration that 
is being expressed to me at the 
exclusion of the gay sensibility at 
KQED.” 


a tough line taken by Tiano. 

owners. It’s a catch-22,” said 
Wilson. 

“I would love to see a few 
tokens thrown at us,” he added. 
“When you have nothing it’s 
good to get some tokens. And the 
Christian Science Monitor 
[radio] is an insult to us every 
time it is broadcast. If a com¬ 
munity accepts this blatant 
discrimination against gay peo¬ 
ple, then something is wrong. 
Our community will no longer- 
tolerate it.” 

Frank Eppich, representing 



the Harvey Milk Democratic 
Club, told the station that 20 per¬ 
cent of the viewers in the city 
were gay or lesbian and that 
KQED was being short-sighted in 
paying so little attention to this 
community. “Part of what you 
see as a drop in subscriptions is 
not our doing, but because of a 
general feeling in the gay com¬ 
munity that you are not being 
receptive to our community.” 

Donna Yutsi, of the Golden 
Gate Business Association, and 
Sue Libow, of the Lesbian Rights 
Project, both complained about 
the lack of lesbian programming 
on the station. “We’re half of that 
20 percent, or more,” said Libow. 
“There are new families being 
made up of lesbian and gay 
couples, many with children. 
Where are we in your program¬ 
ming?” 


INTO THE STREETS 

Howard Wallace, a well-known 
activist in the community 
brought up the specter of future 
demonstrations at the station. 
“One of the reasons this com¬ 
munity has come as far as we 
have,” said Wallace, “is because 
we’ve gotten out into the streets, 
just like we demonstrated out in 
front of this building a few 
months ago. And we’re going to 
have to demonstrate again if 
we’re going to keep things mov- 
(Continued on page 31) 


Dealing with the AIDS epi¬ 
demic is not the same thing as 
addressing the total concerns of 
the lesbian and gay community, 
said Holly Smith, media coor¬ 
dinator for the San Francisco 
AIDS Foundation. “Program¬ 
ming AIDS documentaries is not 
going to meet the needs of gay 
people for role models,” said 
Smith. “My concern is that often 
times we lump together program¬ 
ming on AIDS as an answer to 
gay needs and gay culture. But 
these are not the same thing.” 

One man, a member of Black 
and White Men Together, told 
the station staff that he is not a 
member of KQED because when 
he moved to the Bay Area he had 
expected something different 
from the public television he had 
seen in other cities. “KQED 
represents a city with a dispro¬ 
portionately large lesbian and 
gay community and yet KQED 
treats us as if we were no different 
from the almost invisible gay 
communities in other cities,” he 
said. 

“You exclude any sense of 
blacks or latinos being gay and 
drove me around the bend with 
the Fabian Bridges story. There 
was homophobia and racism in 
that program and I think it was 
unforgiveable for KQED to 
broadcast it.” 

APPALLING 

Tede Matthews, who appeared 
in the documentary Word Is Out 
ten years ago, said that the diver¬ 
sity within the gay community is 
not being represented on KQED. 
“The Fabian Bridges thing was 
just appalling. None of what you 
showed after it could make up for 
it. And with the Christian 
Science Monitor [radio], too. I 
believe it has to stop.” 

Gay activist Hank Wilson, 
former co-owner of the gay com¬ 
edy club Valencia Rose, talked 
about the issue of ignoring gay 
comics. “We’ve heard about 
KQED airing programs that were 
produced in Boston but my ques¬ 
tion is what about programs that 
are produced here for Boston, 
like Comedy Tonight. We have at 
least 15 experienced gay and les¬ 
bian comics in this city. They are 
discriminated against by the 
straight clubs in this city. The 
producer of Comedy Tonight gets 
his comics by recommendations 
made by those same straight club 



Friday — July 11th, 8:30 p.m. 

Golden Gate Theatre 

with 

*]ellicle Ball 

(Gala Cast Party) 

Hyatt0on Union Square 

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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 


THE CABLE CAR AWARDS 

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Coming Home Hospice 
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VOL. XVI NO. 26 JUNE 26, 1986 NEXT DEADLINE: JUNE 27 NEXT ISSUE OUT: JULY 3 


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Copyright 1985 


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Richard Burt 

TYPESETTING: 

Chal Cochran, Jay Manning 

PHOTOGRAPHERS: 

Rink, Robert Pruzan 

AUDITOR/ACCOUNTANT: 

Robert J. Dern, C.P.A. 


CONTRIBUTORS: 

Les Balmain, Philip Campbell, 
Mark I. Chester, Jerry De Gracia, 
Jerry R. De Young, Gregory 
Douthwaite, Stephen Drewes, 
Wayne Friday, Mark Friese, 
George Heymont, Michael 
Hippier, Frank J. Howell, Dot 
James, John Karr, Peter Keane, 
Larry Kim, Gerard Koskovich, 
Charles Linebarger, Mister 
Marcus, George Mendenhall, 
Jay Newquist, Sharon Page, Nez 
Pas, Adele Prandini, Paul Reed, 
Marv Shaw, Roger Soto, Rick 
Thoman, Paul Trefzger, Tom 
Vindeed, Dick Walters, Steve 
Warren, Allen White, Keith 
White, Bob Woolhouse 


Published weekly, Bay Area Reporter 
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nor implied. 


Forward Together... 

W ith this issue, the Bay Area Reporter celebrates 15 years of 
publication. We’re also celebrating Gay Pride Week. 

We are proud to still be here after so many years, and to be 
able to bring our community all the news and views week after week. 
This would not be possible without the cadre of writers and photog¬ 
raphers who toil so diligently each week. It would also not be possible 
without a fine editorial and office staff. These are the unsung heroes 
of any publication. 

There have been many changes in this newspaper over the years: from 
the very beginning when we published 5,000 copies every two weeks to 
today when more than 30,000 copies are published each and every week. 
As our community has grown so have we. 

All of this would not have been possible without the backbone of any 
publication, our advertisers. They have been faithful to this paper 
because you, our readers, have been faithful to them. You shop in their 
stores, patronize their restaurants, and partake of their services. In a 
time when we are literally fighting for our lives many gay businesses are 
also struggling to stay alive. 

It is important to keep gay business alive. Much of the money raised 
for our gay charities comes from these businesses. It has been sad to 
see so many bars, restaurants, and other fine businesses go under for 
lack of patronage. We realize many other factors are involved, but it still 
behooves us to support those who support us. 

W e are proud to be able to live in and support a city that cares. 
This city cares about its citizens and their myriad problems and 
tries to do the best it can for all. In the last 15 years we have 
seen incredible changes in the city’s administration and its outlook to¬ 
wards the body politic. This has come about in large part because the 
gay community cares about its city. We have educated the population 
about its most important asset, the right to vote. It is pleasing to see 
that while voter apathy runs rampant in other communities, ours still 
turns out in strength to cast our ballots. That is due largely to the many 
political clubs both in the city and the greater Bay Area. Both Demo¬ 
crat and Republican, these clubs spend enormous amounts of time striv¬ 
ing to educate the entire community on issues as well as candidates. 

We are also a city with many fine gay men and lesbians in appointed 
and elected positions. All too often we have a tendency to overlook these 


people. In this issue and throughout the month of July we will highlight 
these citizens. Their backgrounds are as diverse as their jobs. From the 
Police Commission through the smaller community boards, all help make 
our gay presence known and felt. It is through these positions that we 
help educate the straight community about our lifestyles and about the 
fact that we have the same concerns, cares, and desires as the mainstream. 
These commissioners have also helped to open many doors and have 
given the gay community entry into the world of the large fundraising 
organizations as well. 

W e are proud to see the love and caring our community has shown 
in the AIDS crisis. Early recognition of problems that were 
developing and the early mobilization of the community have 
helped forestall problems that are occurring in other gay communities. 
Massive education of the population at large has helped alleviate the 
bigotry and homophobia that is evident in other cities. The more 
dangerous sexual proclivities of the gay male have all but ceased to be. 
Within one year the venereal disease rate had dropped and the lifestyle 
of the community had changed. Clandestine sex is out, and courting 
is in. An incredible support system for people with AIDS was started 
and continues to this day. 

We have shown the rest of the nation the way to go. While medical 
costs throughout the country have skyrocketed to more than $150,000 
for patient care, we give better, more humane services for about $40,000 
per patient. We have many people and organizations to thank for that. 
But, the main thanks should go to the thousands of men and women 
who volunteer incredible amounts of their time and energy. We have seen 
the community donate millions of dollars to help their own, and we have 
seen local government come up with millions more to help. 

We are proud to have seen the community mobilize for survival. From 
Falwell, Briggs and Anita Bryant, we have fought back homophobic cam¬ 
paigns. We now have looming on the horizon the LaRouche quarantine 
Initiative. There is no doubt in my mind that we shall overcome this latest 
assault on our community. It comes, however, when we are fighting for 
our very lives, and the money necessary to defeat it will have to come 
from sources that are already strained. We will all have to do with one 
less beer or one less pleasure to help in the fight. We beg of you to give 
“till it hurts” to help defeat this fascist-like initiative. 

We are proud of our entire community. There is... no turning back! • 

Bob Ross 


Gay Games II: Our Collective 
Pride 


by Shawn P. Kelly, Executive Director, Gay Games II 

T his Sunday at the Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day Parade we will 
witness another of those events that defies belief, even to those 
of us who are accustomed to high visibility of gay people. At the 
sight of over 200,000 participants, we will witness the largest demonstra¬ 
tion of gay pride ever assembled at one time on the planet. 

As many times as I have been to the parade, I have always wanted to 
go to all the other parades across the country that are taking place at 
or about the same time as ours to see not only the Bay Area’s bands, 
choruses, dancers, and performers, but those from other cities as well. 
Carried to its logical conclusion, what I have reallly wanted has been 
to see the whole gay world assembled together at one time. 

If you have shared that dream, you will get your chance shortly at San 
Francisco’s second gay pride event of the summer: Gay Games II, a 
17-day festival from Aug. 1-17 that will feature the artists, athletes, and 
spectators not just from the greater Bay Area, but from across the country 
and around the world. 

O n the level of athletics alone Gay Games II will be a remarkable 
coming together of lesbians and gay men. With entries now 
closed, we have an estimated 3,600 individuals who will parti¬ 
cipate in our 17 different events. Although the final tabulations are still 
underway we already know that we have athletes representing cities not 
only in America but also from Australia, Italy, Canada, England, New 
Zealand, France, Ireland, Guam, the Netherlands, Mexico, Israel, Bra¬ 
zil, and Japan. 

Think of it! In the Opening Ceremonies of Gay Games I in 1982 there 
were a total of 1,300 athletes. On Opening Day of Gay Games II on Aug. 
9 there will be nearly three times as many women and men! Many of 
these people have been in serious training for years, have spent countless 
hours raising vast sums of money, and will have traveled thousands of 
miles to be a part of this international demonstration of gay pride. 

Nor will that be the single aspect of the festival. For 17 days begin¬ 
ning Aug. 1, Gay Games II will present Festival of the Arts, a series of 
22 cultural events that will take place throughout the city. The event? 


will range from a concert of the combined lesbian and gay Bay Area cho¬ 
ruses, to a theater piece about 300 years of gay life in Japan, to a fabu¬ 
lous three-ring circus concert by over 400 members of the combined 
lesbian and gay bands of America (who will also preview their concert 
in the Games’ Opening Ceremonies). 

The bands especially, like their athletic counterparts, have been prac¬ 
ticing, networking, and raising funds in anticipation of this worldwide 
convocation of their counterparts from throughout the country. And they 
will receive, for the first time, the international audience they deserve. 

T he most visible events of the festival—-and the place where all of 
this comes together in its most dramatic form—will be the Open¬ 
ing and Closing Ceremonies of Gay Games II, on Saturday, Aug. 
9 and Sunday, Aug. 17. Aside from being two of the most moving, enter¬ 
taining, and spectacular afternooons you will ever be a part of, our 
ceremonies will be the most historic demonstration yet of our community 
pride. 

And, perhaps, if any contrast could be made between the pride that 
we will all share at the parade and the pride that is evidenced by Gay 
Games II, it would be that the parade is the occasion for the most spec¬ 
tacular demonsration of individual pride. Come out and be who you are. 
Gay Games II will reflect the collective pride of our national and inter¬ 
national gay communities through a display of our cultural and athletic 
development over the years. 

For me, it is a dream come true: The gay world joining together to 
celebrate, to compete, to share—not just for one afternoon but for more 
than a week. We who have been working to make this festival come true, 
invite you to be a part by attending our Opening and Closing 
Ceremonies, athletic competitions, and cultural events, and by taking 
a visiting athlete into your home as a guest for the week—a special way 
to learn about the way other gay people live. 

By doing any of these things, you will join your personal pride with 
ours to make the greatest statement to the world of the collective health, 
diversity, and pride of our community. In an age in which we are increas¬ 
ingly vulnerable, nothing could be more important. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 8 























Point and Counterpoint 

★ The decision of the B.A.R. to deny endorsement 
to Assemblyman Art Agnos demands a repudiation 
from responsible community leaders. 

Art Agnos is a fighter in the state legislature for 
our lives and the lives of those we love. He personal¬ 
ly helped draft almost every state AIDS budget, and 
today his efforts mean California’s AIDS funding is 
greater than all other states of the Union combined 
and doubled. 

Agnos is also the author of AB 403, the AIDS anti¬ 
body confidentiality law that has served as the model 
for the nation. At the very time the B.A.R. chooses 
to deny the endorsement, Agnos is leading the tough 
fight in the legislature to ban AIDS discrimination 
in our state. 

All of this is in addition to his leadership in win¬ 
ning major increases in federal AIDS funding, and 
his ongoing efforts to secure basic civil rights for 
lesbians and gay men through AB 1. 

The B.A.R.’s denial of an endorsement mocks the 
Agnos fight for the lesbian and gay community and 
trivializes our own fight for justice. 

We are proud of Art Agnos’ leadership and his 
partnership with our community on every crucial 
issue we face. We only wish there were more like him! 

Roberto Esteves, President 
Alice B Toklas Lesbian/Gay 
Democratic Club 
San Francisco 
Rick Pacurar, President 
Harvey Milk Lesbian & Gay 
Democratic Club 
San Francisco 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: It's interesting to note 
the protest does not include mention of 
Speaker Brown who was not endorsed as well. 
Mayhaps he has yet to strike a deal. Why not 
defend Bradley who was also not endorsed? 
Or maybe it’s just because Mr. Pacurar’s lover 
works for Assemblyman Agnos. 

Some history notes: Harvey Milk and 
friends founded the San Francisco Demo¬ 
cratic Club lnow the Milk Clubl to build up 
a cadre of precinct workers. This cadre was 
to help build the image and goodwill of 
Harvey Milk to defeat Art Agnos. 

Four years ago the Milk Club did not en¬ 
dorse Willie Brown. You were not challeng¬ 
ed, as that is your club’s business. However, 
if it wasn’t for Brown you wouldn’t have any 
gay legislation. No matter what Mr. Agnos 
says, if the Speaker doesn’t want it, Art “ain’t 
a gonna git it.” 

Lastly, B.A.R’s endorsements (or non¬ 
endorsements) have never been sold via 
advertising and/or slate cards. If you can’t 
stand the difference of opinion, then get out 
of politics, Mr. Pacurar. 

Bob Ross, Publisher 


Harping Carpies 

★ Brian Jones’ attitude was more than “nit pick¬ 
ing” when he expressed his extravagant horror of the 
selection of Sharon McNight and Rita Rockett as co- 
marshalls of the Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day 
Parade. 

I know of no one more worthy of the honor than 
these two women who are leading us all in the expres¬ 
sion of care, dedication, and love for the gay com¬ 
munities. 

When Brian Jones and the rest of the harping car- 
pies give as much of themselves as Sharon McNight 
and Rita Rockett, then perhaps I would bother to 
hear their complaints. 

Richard Morris 
San Francisco 


False Statements 

★ Upon reading Mr. Duke Armstrong’s column in 
the June 5 issue of Bay Area Reporter titled “Tales 
of Another City,” concerning the recent International 
Mr. Leather contest, held in Chicago over the 
Memorial Day weekend, I had to wonder whether or 
not I was a bartender at a bar that he seemed none 
too fond of. 

As a bartender at the Chicago Redoubt I can say 
that Mr. Armstrong made some false statements con¬ 
cerning our establishment. For example, he claims 
that we did not give away or offer any drink specials 
over the weekend, when in fact each registration 
packet included three free drink tickets. Also, on 
Monday we offered a free buffet during which time 
the bar was open to the IML registrants several times 
as our way of saying thanks for a great weekend. 

Mr. Armstrong correctly points out that the Re¬ 
doubt is a large complex, spread out over two floors 
and by our sheer size attracted a larger crowd than 


the other two bars mentioned in the article. I think 
it is unfair to imply that we did not care about our 
customers or our community. I am sure that our 
owner, Mr. Jim Flint, would like to have had the lux¬ 
ury of greeting customers as they arrived, but we were 
forced to put him to work behind the bar in order 
to keep up with the crowd. I might also point out that 
Mr. Flint’s commitment to the community, the en¬ 
tire community including the leather community, is 
a s strong as any other person’s in this city, whether 
he is raising money for the Howard Brown Memorial 
Clinic, Chicago House, a residence for persons with 
AIDS, or being the First openly gay person to run for 
the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Mr. Flint 
has been in the forefront working hard for all our 
community. 

I realize that San Francisco and Chicago are two 
very different cities but what seems to come through 
loud and clear in Mr. Armstrong’s article is that 
anything that is not San Francisco, reduced in price, 
or free, is not worth experiencing. 

Jerry Williams 
Redoubt Bartender 
Chicago 


Waging War Against AIDS 

★ As a recently diagnosed PWA, I was extremely in¬ 
terested in Pat Christen’s “Understanding Immuni¬ 
ty” column. 

Unlike my physician, Christen was able to explain 
highly technical information in a manner that was 
wholly comprehensible to me. (In fact, I sent a copy 
of the article to my folks in Oregon to give them a 
better understanding of AIDS.) 

I encourage the B.A.R. to continue providing a 
forum in which in-depth, factual, and relevant AIDS 
information is readily available. 

Your columns like “Understanding AIDS” give 
me that knowledge I need to wage my own war 
against the disease. 

Ned Gleane 
Castro Valley 


A New Uprising 

★ That was a lovely “Mr. and Mrs.” type picture of 
the bisexual chairs of our alleged Gay/Lesbian Free¬ 
dom Day Parade, printed in with the “In My Opin¬ 
ion” of June 12. I would like to thank them for 
sharing their lecture on how bigoted we gays are and 
closed-minded for daring to oppose their ideas, 
especially the totally tasteless idea of putting two 
heterosexuals in the fornt of our parade. 

Personally, I would have been just as offended by 
a straight of any color or gender in front of the parade 
(with gays added as a second thought). In these times 
of increasing homophobia and anti-gay violence 
(when’s the last time you saw or heard of a gang of 
faggots jumping and beating on heterosexuals?), in 
these hard times our community desperately needs 
gay/lesbian heroes to look up to. We definitely do not 
need some chic chic bisexual beauty queens lectur¬ 
ing us on how narrow-minded we are. 

In case anyone has forgotten: It is still illegal to 
engage in same-sex sex. Gays are locked up, beaten, 
mutilated, and still struggling on all levels to attain 
freedom from persecution. A heterosexual sexual 
freedom day would probably be a good idea but let’s 
not forget the idea behind the uprising at the 
Stonewall was to free the gays. Considering all the 
rhetoric and bull coming out of the current parade 
committee here in San Francisco, maybe it is time 
for the gay people of San Francisco to have an upris¬ 
ing of our own . .. against the Parade Committee. 

Alvin Anderson 
San Francisco 


Oar Lesbian Friends 

★ Time and again, I’m reminded how great it is to 
be a member of the San Francisco gay community. 
One of the so-called “truths” we’ve been led to 
believe is most lesbians and gay men rarely support 
each other. This has been shown to be a falsehood 
with the AIDS crisis. I have been very touched and 
impressed by the amount of support the lesbian com¬ 
munity has shown to their gay brothers during this 
tragedy. 

I hope that gay men will retrurn that support. One 
thing we can do is send a check to the Lesbian Rights 
Project (1370 Mission St., 4th Floor, S.F., CA 94103). 
Let’s not take each other for granted. 

Again, my heartfelt thanks to my sisters. 

Tom Yeager 
San Francisco 



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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 9 


































































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Obituaries 

★ Mike Hippler’s recent article on “Scanning the 
Obituaries” missed an important point. 

Writing an obituary for a lover or friend is not an 
easy task. It takes thought and courage and should 
not be judged on its literary content. 

Realizing that Hippler’s article was written to en¬ 
courage those people who know of someone’s tran¬ 
sition (mostly through AIDS and/or ARC) to notify 
the community I feel his attitude regarding our 
freedom of expression was put on the witness stand. 

Perhaps your newspaper should encourage all in 
our community to inform you regarding someone’s 
death. This need not be by just a picture or expected 
literary masterpiece but in addition by name, date, 
and cause of death. Those unable to meet the cur¬ 
rent requirements of your newspaper’s obituary col¬ 
umn would also have the chance to inform the 
readers. A tribute or full statement regarding the 
transition could be published later if so desired. At 
least the community would be informed. 

Shame on you, Hippier for asking us to punctuate 
and capitalize in the face of death. 



IF YOU 

TAKE PICTURES... 


Ceal Goldberg 
San Francisco 

ED. NOTE: As we mentioned recently, we 
encourage obituary writers to keep the obits 
down to moderate lengths, such as four to five 
paragraphs. But, other than basic newspaper 
style, we don’t want to hamper what is com¬ 
ing from the heart. 

This is where we feel our obits differ from 
the dailies. As Mike Hippier pointed out, you 
see a lot of touching things about the deceas¬ 
ed in our obits. That’s because it’s coming 
from the heart. We don ’tfeel it is our place to 
lecture the bereaved at this time about details 
the straight press considers more important 
. . . e.g., was it 7 a.m. or 7p.m.? 

Will Snyder 



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Yes, Yon Are A Prude 

★ I would like to respond to the “Too Much of a 
Good Thing” from last week’s B.A.R. Yes, I would 
call you a prude. At least the man didn’t jerk off on 
the street. The woman who was topless—most real 
gay men wouldn’t give two hoots in Hell to see that. 

You think you were the only one to see that. Didn’t 
you look around to see if anybody else saw it, or were 
you too busy looking yourself? 

As far as your friend in that park, he must like 
Hats, too. 

I am from Oklahoma, the most prudish place on 
this Earth. I spent one year here, and now I am back 
to stay. You wanted a place with no hassles, where peo¬ 
ple could be free. Well, I would say you found it. You 
don’t like it? Go home. Just for the record, where did 
you stay these last eight months, in the closet? 

Yes, the Gay Freedom Day is coming and I will 
stand tall with my brothers and sisters, and be proud 
to be gay, to be able to live and work in the gay com¬ 
munity, as I do. And be proud to be able to live in 
S.F. The gay community is not perfect nor am I... 
and certainly not you. 

Don’t judge the gay community or even San Fran¬ 
cisco itself by three incidents. 

This is a big city. 

Mike Atkins 
San Francisco 


B.A.R. Is Flexible 

★ I read your publication for a variety of reasons 
and was most happily surprised to know you are truly 
open to all thoughts in print. 

I don’t feel I’m alone in expressing my gratitude 
to B.A.R. for its flexibility in journalism. 

Paul F. Malies 
San Francisco 


Inappropriate 

★ This letter was sent to: 

Chief Frank Jordan 

San Francisco Police Department 

Dear Chief Jordan: 

I have been receiving an increasing number of 
complaints lately about inappropriate harassment of 
citizens in and about Buena Vista Park. 

Numerous calls and letters have come into my of¬ 
fice about police officers detaining and interrogating 
strolling folks—processing ID, running warrant 
checks, compiling data about employment and oth¬ 
er personal matters; 

One of your officers is reported to have told a citi¬ 
zen he was in a “suspicious area”—a fairly remark¬ 
able statement. 

V_ 


I find this type of police behavior to be contrary 
to the best interest of the free society in which we all 
live. It would seem that potential lawsuits against the 
city might be avoided, and that better police-com¬ 
munity relations might be developed if police officers 
would concentrate on more appropriate work. 

Your participation in correcting this situation will 
be appreciated. Please keep me updated on your find¬ 
ings, and on corrective actions which are taken. 

Harry Britt 
Member, Board of Supervisors 
San Francisco 


Betancourt Is Wrong! 

★ Andrew Betancourt’s elitist posturing and 
criticism regarding B.A.R.’ s letters section (June 19), 
might have had some credibility had he not been so 
judgemental about how to categorize the letters sent 
to the paper. He would do well to realize that the let¬ 
ters column is a forum open to everyone (including 
Betancourt) in the lesbian and gay communities, as 
well as the heterosexual community. 

Betancourt’s petty nitpicking and remarks about 
“cranky bitches” (his words) referring to letters he 
doesn’t like, is an insult to B.A.R. readers and letter 
writers who find Open Forum as the only outlet to 
express their diverse views. Moreover, his suggestions 
smack of egotism and elitist censorship. Perhaps 
Betancourt should start his own newspaper, write his 
own letters, and maybe he’ll be happy. 

The B.A.R’ s letters section has to be the most 
responsive to its readers in the city and elsewhere 
when compared to the Ex-Sominex and the Comical 
My batting average with letters to the two aforemen¬ 
tioned local dailies is lousy with only one letter 
printed out of six letters sent to the Ex-Sominex and 
none printed at all in the Comical These two papers 
never return my phone calls. They are about as 
responsive as a dead mouse. The Progress runs sec¬ 
ond to B.A.R. for this paper ( The Progress ) prints vir¬ 
tually all of my letters. 

I am sure many B.A.R. readers will agree with me 
when I say that B.A.R.’ s letters section is the most 
lively and truly a class act. Also, the most responsive 
of all. We should all support B.A.R. and protect it 
from discontented individuals like Betancourt. So to 
him I say: Please shut up and go away. 

Ed Dollack 
San Francisco 


Just The Facts, Ma’am 

★ Ye gads! 

One incriminating belt buckle makes for a multi¬ 
tude of speculation. Mr. Wahl’s irrational antagonism 
towards all things Christian is showing through again 
[B.A.R., June 5]. 

Surely if Officer Crowley is botching the job it’s 
because he’s a bad cop, not (allegedly) a Cop for 
Christ. If, as the implication goes, Crowley’s relig¬ 
ion is affecting his professionalism, it’s his profes¬ 
sionalism which is at fault. 

One might do well to stick to the facts at hand and 
do the job one is asked to do, and leave his own pre¬ 
judices and hasty conclusions at home. 

Mona Semerau 
San Francisco 

ED NOTE: After B.A.R.’s deadline for the 
June 5 issue passed, Inspector Herman Clark, 
who is working on the George Williams case 
with Inspector Crowley, said it is well known 
that Mr. Crowley is a member of Cops for 
Christ. Inspector Crowley has not returned 
B.A.R.’s phone calls as of yet. 

Will Snyder 


Caring Will Prevail 

★ We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the 
thousands of San Franciscans who demonstrated 
their support for people with AIDS/ARC at the Can¬ 
dlelight Memorial March. 

In the light of the LaRouche Internment Initiative, 
now, more than ever, it is important to realize that 
San Franciscans—along with Chicagoans, New 
Yorkers, Londoners, etc.—are responding to the 
AIDS crisis with the “old fashioned” value of com¬ 
passion and rejecting the strange and new doctrine 
that kicks people when they’re down. 

The LaRouches, William Dannemeyers and Bill 
Buckleys of this land will not prevail. Common sense, 
concerted action and caring will. 

Frank Richter, Co-Chair 
Mobilization Against AIDS-SF 
San Francisco 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 10 



















































Hey, Gay Bigots: Shat Up! 

★ I address this letter to those who oppose nongays 
being a part of the Gay Pride Parade and Festival. 

Do you know what turns my stomach more than 
a bigot? A gay bigot! How dare you assume that every 
heterosexual is somehow prejudiced! Do yo believe 
that gays, who comprise 6-10 percent of the popula¬ 
tion could have made it on their own without the help 
of our nongay friends? 

If you do, you’re more ignorant and naive than 
Jerry Falwell (and that’s about as ignorant as one can 
get). In 25 years of being out of the closet (most of 
the time), I’ve only had one rejection by a nongay 
friend (who is no longer a friend,of course). I feel so 
grateful and proud that the Gay Pride Committee has 
the brains to know how important it is to show our 
nongay support because without them, we would be 
doomed for sure. 

My nongay friends are beautiful people. They 
don’t just tolerate me, they accept me without reser¬ 
vation and they treat me equally in every respect, 
which is what every gay person wants. I’ve had more 
rejection from some fellow gays than I ever had from 
straights! 

For those of you who relate to the Falwellian frame 
of mind, may you get your just reward. But for those 
of you who realize that heterosexuals have done more 
for us than anyone (e.g., Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Rivers, 
Barbra Streisand, etc.), then bless you for acknowl¬ 
edging their tremendous, support and caring. 

And for you gay bigots out there, do me a favor: 
shut up! 

Dean Tomich 
San Jose 


No Fundamentalists Allowed 

★ San Diego recently held their Gay Freedom Day 
Celebration. As is all too frequent with such celebra¬ 
tions around the country, the fundamentalists show 
up with offensive banners, bullhorns, posters, etc. A 
gay man physically attacks them (which is wrong). Do 
the fundamentalists get arrested for inciting violence, 
parading without a permit? No—of course the gay 
man gets arrested for assault and winds up getting 
his blood drawn to test him for AIDS (an incredible 
outrageous blatant violation of his civil rights). 

As San Francisco is about to hold its Gay Freedom 
Day Parade, it is time somebody asks what are we go¬ 
ing to do about fundamentalists? They show up every 
year at our parade which is a celebration for ourselves 
and our friends. We are supposed to have a good time, 
have pride instilled in us, and feel better as a result 
of the parade. Each year we are urged to ignore the 
fundamentalists. For many of us this is difficult to 
do. We must admit that we are upset by their ungra¬ 
cious vulgarity and narrowmindedness. Not to men¬ 
tion the fact that they are uninvited (as far as I am 
concerned). The gay community has the parade per¬ 
mit for that day (they do not). 

When the fundamentalists show up on Gay Free¬ 
dom Day, they should be allowed their freedom of 
speech but not at our expense. They should be 
segregated and kept separate from the celebrants. 
They should be kept outside the parade area. If they 
move into the parade area they should be asked to 
leave, and if they refuse, they should be arrested 
under the same technical legal laws that the police 
have used against gay people for years. 

George Collins 
San Francisco 


We Have Almost Arrived 

★ We found the recent article by Brian Jones to be 
among the most—if not the most—repressive and 
repulsive articles appearing in the B.A.R. since the 
first day your paper began publication. 

How any person of reasonable intelligence can feel 
that the gay community has progressed backwards 
as a result of the appointment of straight grand 
marshals for the Gay Pride celebration parade is hard 
to fathom. Isn’t the crux of gay rights the lessening 
of bigotry and the doing away with the importance 
of sexual orientation? 

All people, straight or not straight, should ap¬ 
preciate anyone and everyone’s contributions toward 
the eradication of this horrible epidemic we are in. 
In the cases of Rita Rockett and Sharon McKnight, 
we are not talking about mere lip service, or occa¬ 
sional monetary contributions, or appearances at 
fundraising events. We are talking about two people 
who have given nearly all of their spare time—and 
much time that was not spare time—to a communi¬ 
ty in need. 

We appreciate Brian Jones’ fine talent as a writ¬ 
er, and the time which he, too, has given for the 
“cause,” but he certainly has not been the one spend¬ 
ing every other Saturday of his life for the past two- 
plus years in a-kitchen, or every Saturday night 
cocktailing in a bar to raise tips to be spent on food, 
or every other Sunday afternoon spreading joy to 
those at Ward 5A(B) or cancelling paid engagements 
to sing and entertain for zilch. Nor have we seen him 


serving at as many countless endeavors to raise funds, 
or in the various hospitals, in so many hospital rooms, 
at people’s homes ... or even on the streets .,. 
spreading love and hope during this time of crisis. 
And, needless to say, most of the rest of us have not 
been so committed. 

What pride and celebration the majority of us shall 
feel in our hearts when we see two most deserving 
people—Sharon and Rita—leading the parade on 
June 29, knowing that they are giving us more reason 
to celebrate and certainly a newly-acquired pride. 
Sexual orientation truly does not matter. We have 
almost arrived! 

Bryce Fleming and 
Larry Christian 
San Francisco 


Support Cranston 

★ I feel particularly qualified to comment on the 
dispute between Chris Bowman and Wayne Friday 
since I’m no fan of Bowman’s politics and Wayne Fri¬ 
day and I have had our heated differences. Now that 
I have established my objectivity and disinterest¬ 
edness in this affair, I’d like to make a few personal 
observations. 

It’s my strong opinion that gays put Deukmejian 
in office by staying away from the polls. Bradley was 
a lackluster candidate, and there was little gay en¬ 
thusiasm for him. This time around we had better 
hope our gay Republican friends get more influence 
with Deukmejian because he’s going to win by a 
landslide. 

Where the gay voters can and should make a dif¬ 
ference this fall will be in the tight Cranston-Zschau 
U.S. Senate race. Zschau seems to be a decent enough 
man and a moderate, but Cranston is a proven friend 
of gays, and is that rare breed in American politics 
... the statesman. Cranston deserves another term, 
and the gay vote should be solidly behind him. 

I would like to add, that despite our differences, 
Wayne Friday and I share, with reservations, the same 
political philosophy, and that I agree with Chris 
Bowman that gays, particularly during these grave 
times, should work to gain acceptance with the 
mainstream of American society, and not continue 
to be the bastard child of the liberal Democrats. 

Tom Youngblood 
San Francisco 


Housing Benefits 

★ I saw a letter in the B.A.R. about the horrible 
shortage of low cost housing for people with AIDS 
in San Mateo County (and everywhere else for that 
matter). I hope that anyone with AIDS who falls in¬ 
to the low/moderate income bracket because of their 
illness knows that they are eligible for the same hous¬ 
ing benefits that many families receive (especially if 
they are already getting SSI). 

The Section 8 Rental Assistance Program is im¬ 
plemented by the County or City Housing Authori¬ 
ty in your area; if all the numbers work out you can 
stay in the same apartment you live in and pay about 
30 percent of your monthly income for rent, or if you 
have a lot of medical-related expenses you might just 
be able to let the Dept, of Housing & Urban Develop¬ 
ment pay all of your rent for you. Of course, a lot of 
people in the Bay Area are on the waiting list for free 
rent, but in Oakland there may be a shortcut: anyone 
receiving any kind of disability payment like SSI is 
eligible for the Aftercare Program. It’s the same as 
Section 8 but the waiting list can be as short as zero 
to three weeks long (instead of one to three years). 

Anyone interested in details for themselves or a 
friend may contact me at The Oakland Housing 
Authority at 874-1506. 

James Wilson 
Representative/Leased Housing 
Oakland 


Women Who Care 

★ During the last few weeks I have given a lot of 
thought to the battle against AIDS and its dreadful 
effect on our society. It strikes me that there is one 
particular group involved in the battle that is, if not 
unapppreciated, not recognized enough. The group 
that I am talking about is the women, both lesbian 
and heterosexual, who are doing so much to help. 

Now, I can hear the cries of outrage from some 
readers that AIDS is not a gay man’s disease and that 
everyone has a moral obligation to help in the effort. 
I agree but the truth of the matter is that these 
women could, if they so chose, simply shrug the whole 
epidemic off as something that does not really con¬ 
cern them. 

Anyhow, I want to take this oppportunity to say to 
all those women involved that we are truly grateful 
for your support, help, and love that you have been 
so generous with. Your example is an inspiration to 
us and gives us faith that we will win this fight in the 

end - P. Warwick May 

Oakland 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 11 










































$257,000 raised in pledges by bicycle riders in 
the ’86 AIDS Bike-A-Thon sponsored by 
Different Spokes Bicycle Club. 



THANK YOU! 

To the 20,000 people who pledged to 
riders in the ’86 AIDS Bike-A-Thon. 

THANK YOU! 

To the 650 riders who solicited pledges, collected pledges 
and rode the ‘magically flat’ 25 mile route 
and the 100 mile challenge. 

THANK YOU! 

To the following businesses, organizations and individuals 
who generously donated goods and services to support 
the AIDS Bike-A-Thon which enabled 100% of all monies 
raised to go directly to support patient care services. 

All American Boy 
Tom Ammiano, comedian 
Artspec. 

Au Natural/Solgar Vitamins 
Auntie Pasta 
Bakers of Paris 
The Balloon Lady 
Barbary Coast Cloggers 
Bay Area Career Women 
Bay Area Reporter 
Bay Area Typesetting 
Brad Forrest Restaurant & Caterers 
Bell Markets 

Office of Supervisor Harry Britt 
Budget Signs 
Cala Foods 
California Bicyclist 
Carbon Alternative 
Calistoga Mineral Water 
Career Associates 
Cine Rent West 
Coming Up! 

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav 
CopyCopia 
Copy Factory 
CopyMat 
CUAV 
Dignity 

Double Rainbow 
The Executive Building 
Fuji America 
GGBA Foundation 
Gilbert Baker 
Golden Brands 
Golden Produce 

Golden Gate Business Assocation 
Marga Gomez, comedian 
Grand Central Answering Service 
Hamburger Mary’s 
Headlines 
Just Desserts 
KFRC Radio 
Rob Kish Accounting 
Leather & Blues Women’s M/C 
Leticia’s Restaurant 
Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Committee 
Luisa’s Restaurant 
Marcello’s Pizza 
Merchants of Upper Market 
Metropolitan Community Church 
Midtown Stationers 
Mikage 

John Molinari, President S.F. 

Board of Supervisors 
Mario Mondelli, comedian/singer 
Most Holy Redeemer Church 
Mrs. Fields Cookies 
Neda’s Florist 
Noe Valley Cyclery 
Norse Cove 
Patio Cafe 

Monica Palacios, comedian 
Perrier Group 

Tony Plewick, Photographer 
S&C Ford 
Sahar S’hav 
S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus 
S.F. Hiking Club 

S.F. Recreation and Parks Department 
S.F. Police Department 
(Mission Station) 

S.F. Department of Public Works 
Sausage Factory 
SPWM Inc. 

Sticky Bun Bakery 
Tract-Rawson Design 
Vally’s Fireside 
Velo City Bike Store 
Walgreen’s 
Welcome Home 
Danny Williams, comedian 
Word Processing Services 
WordWrite Services 

ATTENTION BIKE-A-THON RIDERS & FRIENDS 

Join the AIDS Bike-A-Thon and Different Spokes contingent 
in the 1986 Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Parade, Sunday, June 29. 
Please call (415) 771-0677 for meeting time and location. 


The Williams Case 

★ This letter was sent to Police Chief Frank Jordan: 

As you must know, a great many San Franciscans 
distrust those officers in your Department who 
belong to organizations that condemn the lifestyles 
of gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens. That mistrust 
has just been deepened by the conduct of Inspector 
James Crowley of your Homicide Bureau in investi¬ 
gating the May 22 murder of George Williams, a gay 
man. 

Douglas Comstock, a neighbor of the victim, came 
face to face with a man whom he believes to be the 
murderer, on the day of the murder. Although he 
reported this to Inspector Crowley and his partner, 
on May 25, the day after the body was found, they 
neither had him review mug shots, nor used his 
assistance in making a composite drawing of the man 
Comstock saw until June 6,12 days later. Comstock 
also had information that the person he saw fre¬ 
quented the streets around City Hall. He was told by 
Crowley’s partner not to go to that area to look for 
that person, but no attempt was made to have Com¬ 
stock go with a police officer to look for the person 
(which presumably would not have endangered Com¬ 
stock). Crowley and his partner were apparently not 
interested in getting a picture of the victim—which 
could be useful in locating people who saw the vic¬ 
tim with the murderer. Comstock had to suggest 
bringing the officers a picture, when he saw them on 
June 6. 

At the time of Comstock’s interview, Inspector 
Crowley was wearing a belt buckle with the words: 
“Jesus Is Lord.” We are informed that Inspector 
Crowley has been a long-time member of the “Cops 
for Christ,” which is an organization that condemns 
the gay lifestyle and professes obedience to a “higher 
law,” higher than the laws of civil society. 

This investigation appears to lack motivation, to 
say the least. By now the person Comstock saw may 
have left the area. Why has there not been an ade¬ 
quate investigation of this suspect? Is it because the 
victim was gay, and Inspector Crowley (and the oth¬ 
er “Cops for Christ” members in your Department) 
disapprove of gay men? If so, then your Department 
needs a thorough housecleaning. We want an ex¬ 
planation, and we think all of the citizens of San Fran¬ 
cisco deserve one, now. 

(Although we write as officers of the Stonewall Gay 
Democratic Club, we do not want anyone to think that 
our letter is anti-Christian, in any sense. One of us 
happens to be the Chair of the Social Justice Com¬ 
mission of the San Francisco Council of Churches, 
and neither of us opposes real Christian work—such 
as investigating and stopping violent crimes, no mat¬ 
ter who the victims are.) 

Alex MacDonald 
Administrative Vice President 
Stonewall Democratic Club 
John E. Wahl 
Political Vice President 
Stonewall Democratic Club 
San Francisco 


Goodbye Freedom 

★ The Buena Vista park harassment of gays is just 
one more nail in our collective coffin. Why we put 
up with it is beyond me. At the baths a lot more than 
sex was going on. The baths were a gathering place 
where gay men were completely free to be themselves 
and meet other gay men—to share information, to 
lend support to one another. 

I had as many, if not more, purely social contacts 
at the baths as sexual encounters. Sex was just one 
possibility. I also went there to get away from 
straights—for privacy, if you will. I have never real¬ 
ly come to grips with the gay community’s refusal 
to gather in great numbers to protest the taking of 
our right to have places to gather and be with one 
another free of harassment, even in a bathhouse. Our 
behavior need only be monitored by ourselves. 

Why do we allow them to continue limiting our 
freedoms? I tell you, Harvey Milk turns in his grave. 
Where is our leadership? Why aren’t we massing in 
the park, making a clear statement that we are the 
tax-paying public. We help pay for that park. We have 
a right to use it without being harassed. 

I go into the park often without sex on my mind. 
There are other reasons to be there. Policemen only 
go to the park with sex on their minds. Whose 
behavior needs monitoring? 

I think it is time again to stand up for our rights. 
Let’s all think of a non-sexual reason for going to the 
park on the same day and send a clear message to 
City Hall and the Board of Supervisors that the 
harassment has to stop—enough votes says it has to 
stop. 

Two years ago, it was the baths. Today it’s the park. 
Don’t fool yourselves that the bars, gyms, and eventu¬ 
ally your own homes are that far from Buena Vista 
park. They won’t stop with the park. They won’t stop 
until they eliminate all places where we can come into 
contact easily with one,another. 


Think about it—anywhere gay men can meet, 
there is a possibility of sex. To eliminate that possibili¬ 
ty, they will have to close all places where you can be 
openly and comfortably gay. All your interactions 
with other men will have to become covert. When the 
cops are crawling around in the underbrush and 
searching us out in the darkest alleys, where do you 
go to get away from their obsession? 

Back into your closets, that’s where. Remember 
“out of the bars and into the streets”? Well, we’re 
there again boys. Only this time, it’s into the park. 
Quick, they’re taking more of your freedom! 

John Douglas 
San Francisco 


Remembering Uyvari 

★ Uyvari’s recent passing conjures for me feelings 
of both joy and sadness. When I purchased a T-shirt 
bearing his art through a mail order house in San 
Francisco (I was then living in Norfolk, VA), it was 
pride which effaced me on publicly wearing his prod¬ 
uct. His art left indelible impressions on many Vir¬ 
ginians. His spiritual talent in conveying eager 
masculinity in print will be greatly missed. Uyvari 
will be remembered always in the highest place. 

Michael S. Graham 
San Francisco 


Socialists Are Better 

★ John Laird, in his guest column in the June 5 
B.A.R., claims that gays and lesbians should affiliate 
to the Democratic Party because of its “general goals 
of human rights at home and abroad.” 

History, however, tells a different story. 

When the Black struggle for equal rights took to 
the streets of the South in the 1950s, it was the 
Democratic Party that unleashed police and Klan ter¬ 
ror in defense of Jim Crow. When that tactic failed, 
the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations used the 
FBI to infiltrate and disrupt the movement from 
within. 

It was successive Democratic administrations that 
attempted to deny the Vietnamese people the right 
to self-determination through a bloody war of aggres¬ 
sion which killed hundreds of thousands, Vietnamese 
and Americans alike. 

And when women took up the cause of the Equal 
Rights Amendment in the 1970s, it was largely thanks 
to a campaign of false promises and betrayals by 
Democratic Party “friends” of women’s rights that 
the amendment failed to gain ratification in three- 
fourths of the state legislatures. 

This abysmal record extends to the gay and lesbian 
liberation struggle as well. Few will forget the Miami 
ordinance defeat in 1977, when the indifference and 
hostility of Democratic politicians from President 
Carter to Florida Governor Askew to the Dade Coun¬ 
ty Council helped pave the way for Anita Bryant’s 
notorious “Save Our Children” campaign. 

Today more than ever, the ruling Democratic and 
Republican parties are proving themselves to be 
enemies of democratic rights and social progress. We 
see this in the bipartisan policies of escalating 
intervention in Central America, a $300+ billion war 
budget, cuts in programs that benefit working peo¬ 
ple and the oppressed, and the undermining of af¬ 
firmative action, abortion rights, constitutional 
protections and the rights of immigrants fleeing ter¬ 
ror and oppression in Latin America. 

We also see it in the anti-gay hysteria launched in 
the wake of the AIDS Epidemic. The silence and 
hostility of the Democratic and Republican parties 
have given the green light to anti-gay fanatics like 
Lyndon LaRouche, whose ballot initiative in Califor¬ 
nia calls for concentration camps for AIDS sufferers 
and witchhunts against gay and lesbian workers. 

That’s why I support Matilde Zimmermann and 
Greg Jackson, the Socialist Workers Party candidates 
for governor and lieutenant governor. On May 26, 
Zimmermann joined with thousands of gays and les¬ 
bians at the third annual AIDS vigil to express her 
solidarity and support to those suffering from AIDS, 
and has called on the labor movement, civil rights 
organizations and church and community groups to 
unite to fight the LaRouche initiative. The Socialist 
campaign demands full funding for AIDS research 
and outpatient care, with the money to come from 
the war budget. It also calls for no aid to the contras 
and no U.S. intervention in Nicaragua, an end to 
complicity with South African apartheid, solidarity 
with the striking meatpackers at Hormel and the 
TWA flight attendants, women’s right to abortion, 
the closing of all nuclear power plants and no depor¬ 
tations of undocumented workers. 

Unlike their Democratic and Republican op¬ 
ponents, the Socialists place the struggle for 
democratic rights and social justice first. It’s a cam¬ 
paign all gay and lesbian fighters should work for and 
support. If you agree, contact the Socialist headquar¬ 
ters at 282-6255 or visit the bookstore, 3284 23rd 
Street, San Francisco. 

Peter Anestos 
San Francisco 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 12 















Supes to Go On Record 
Opposing Larouche Prop. 


A s expected, it was an¬ 
nounced in Sacramento 
this week that political 
supporters of right-wing political 
extremist Lyndon LaRouche had 
collected and qualified more 
than enough signatures to place 
on the November ballot an in¬ 
itiative that, if passed by Califor¬ 
nia voters, could lead to forced 
AIDS testing of hundreds of 
thousands of gay and non-gay 
citizens. 

The so-called ‘LaRouche In¬ 
itiative’ is designed to ban peo¬ 
ple infected with the AIDS virus 
from working as teachers, food 
handlers, administrators, or from 
even attending classes in the 
state’s schools. The proposed 
LaRouche plan would require 
registration of all Californians in¬ 
fected with the AIDS virus and 
would give public health officials 
the power to force AIDS testing 
on anyone even suspected of car¬ 
rying the virus. 

The November initiative 
marks the first time since the 
1978 Briggs Initiative that a gay- 
related issue will be decided at 
the ballot box, and gay groups 
and their supporters across the 
state were organizing this week to 
defeat the plan. 

At City Hall, the Human Serv¬ 
ices Committee of the San Fran¬ 
cisco Board of Supervisors holds 
a hearing at 2 p.m. today (Thurs¬ 
day, June 26) to consider a resolu¬ 
tion sponsored by Supervisors 
John Molinari and Harry Britt 
that would officially put the city 
on record as opposing the 
LaRouche Initiative. 

leanor Smeal, president of 
the National Organization 
of Women (NOW) has 
called the campaign to oust 
California Chief Justice Rose 
Bird a “sexist” campaign led by 
people “who do not want a wo¬ 
man in a leadership position.” 
Smeal, in Los Angeles recently, 
charged that “there are some 
who want her [Bird] out because 
she’s a woman and she’s had the 
audacity to lead.” She said that 
the campaign to retain Bird is 
“crucial for women” because she 
is the only female chief justice in 
the country. 

Smeal told reporters that Bird 
“has been treated in a sexist 
manner.” She said that Justice 
Bird’s predecessor ruled against 
the death penalty many more 
times than she has, and added 
that “we believe her record on 
the court is comendable.” Smeal 
said that California voters must 
support Bird because it is of ut¬ 
most urgence that “we have more 
women in elected office.” 

When asked why NOW refus¬ 
ed to support Rep. Bobbi Fiedler 
in her recent quest for the Sen¬ 
ate nomination—despite her 
support for free choice on 
abortion—Smeal replied that 


didate.” (Translated, of course, 
that means: She’s a Republican.) 

In L.A. this week, incidentally, 
it was announced that a new 
statewide group calling them¬ 
selves the Independent Citizens 
Committee to Keep Politics Out 
of the Court, has been formed to 
support Bird and her associates 
(including the two who were ap¬ 
pointed by Gov. Deukmejian) in 
the November election. The 
group will be headed by former 
Gov. Edmund “Pat” Brown and 
hopes to raise $1 million for a 
statewide television campaign on 
behalf of the incumbent justices. 

Insiders on the Democratic 
County Central Committee tell 
me they expect lesbian activist 
Carole Migden to be elected the 
new chair of the body next month 
(incumbent chairperson Linda 
Post is not seeking re-election). 

Around Washington it is no se¬ 
cret that Chief Justice Warren 
Burger was nudged ever-so-light- 
ly into his retirement because 
some GOP leaders are fearful 
that the Senate, which must okay 
his successor, could go Demo¬ 
cratic in November. 

he Papan-Kopp state Sen¬ 
ate race in the 8th district 
is heating up early with 
both sides issuing a barrage of 
press releases attacking each oth¬ 
er on Papan’s checkbook cam¬ 
paign supporters and Kopp’s 
1972 vote on the Coastal Com¬ 
mission (and who says these two 
aren’t reaching for issues?) 

My Sacramento spies tell me 
that five of six Democratic 
Assembly candidates backed in 
the primary by Speaker Willie 
Borwn were in the capital a cou¬ 
ple of weeks ago to “pay their 
respects" to the powertul 
Speaker. Notably absent was 
Jackie Speier, the lone non- 
Brown supported Democrat who 
won in the 19th district, beating 
Daly City Councilman Mike 
Nevin. Brown did, however, call 
Speier within two days of her win 
to offer congratulations and an 
olive branch. 

Attorney Arlo Smith, Jr., is lin¬ 
ing up early important support in 
his race for a seat on the BART 
board. 

No one will talk about it, but 
you can look for Jack Davis to be 
leaving Quentin Kopp’s state 
Senate campaign within weeks. 
Davis ran the successful Sacra¬ 
mento County sheriff’s cam¬ 
paign as well as the Prop. F effort 
on June 3. 

My quote of the week: former 
ballet dancer Ron Reagan, Jr., 
speaking of his parents’ reactions 
to rumors of his homosexuality 
said, “He and Mom have friends 
who are gay. I mean, they are 
show people. They were in show 
business. They’ve always liked 
dance.” • 


“she s not our kind of can- 





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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 13 
























































































It’s a Kick in the Grass 



I t is a phenomenally gorge¬ 
ous Saturday morning in 
June, the first morning free 
of fog in weeks. At the polo fields 
in Golden Gate Park, several doz¬ 
en rugby teams showing lots of 
grit, determination, and skin are 
crawling all over each other in 
piles, but it is not rugby players 
in whom I am interested—at 
least not this morning. I am seek¬ 
ing soccer players of a particular 
persuasion, and I think I see 
them at one end of the field. But 
not one glances at me with that 
unmistakable glimmer of recog¬ 
nition, and there are no other soc¬ 
cer players in sight. I am begin¬ 
ning to think I have confused 
meeting time and/or place once 
again, or that I am losing the 
ability to spot a fellow faggot a 
mile away, but then I overhear a 
new arrival onto the field say to 
his companion, “Gee, some of 
these rugby players are really 
cute.” I smile and follow them to 
the far end of the field, where 
four, then five, and soon 14 oth¬ 
er members of their team 
arrive—the official San Fran¬ 
cisco soccer team of the 1986 Gay 
Games. 

While the others warm up, 
21-year-old Josh Persky (who, 
along with teammate Mark 
Koval, usually runs practice for 
this officially leaderless and self- 
described “anarchic” group of 
people) talks a little about the 
history of the group. The team 
came together in the spring of 
1982 for the first Gay Games, 
Josh explains, only to find that 
the competition at the games 
consisted of only one other team, 
a group of spirited but hopeless¬ 
ly overmatched players from 
Denver. San Francisco won the 
brief series, held in Kezar 
Stadium in September, 9-0,8-0, 
and 3-2 (this last only after 
members of the two teams 
switched sides.). 

After walking away with the 
gold, the team disbanded, but 
nine of the original players join¬ 
ed forces to form the nucleus of 
the 1986 team a year and a half 
ago. By no means an exclusive 
organization, the nine welcomed 
anyone who wanted to play to join 
them, regardless of age, race, gen¬ 
der, nationality, religion (or lack 
thereof), sexual persuasion (dit¬ 
to), or level of experience. Even¬ 
tually the group grew to 18, in¬ 
cluding people from every kind of 


category described above (even 
one Straight man)—except for 
women. “If a woman wanted to 
join, she’d be welcome,” explains 
Josh, “but they have a separate 
team, so most women would rath¬ 
er play with them.” 

About half the players, Josh 
estimates, played on high school 
teams once upon a time. Josh 
himself plays for San Francisco 
State at present. Some are quite 
good, including the Mexicans 
(some of whom are not here this 
morning due to the World Cup 
matches on TV.) and other im¬ 
migrants who grew up with the 
sport. Others had no experience 
at all until they began attending 
the twice-weekly practices at the 
polo fields. “If they have no ex¬ 
perience, they come out and 
learn,” says Josh. “The ex¬ 
perienced players teach the less- 
experienced ones. That’s what 
this is all about.” 

I ndeed, in line with the of¬ 
ficial philosophy of the Gay 
Games, the emphasis of the 
soccer players is on participation, 
not competition. “The most im¬ 
portant thing is the spirit,” 
claims Josh, “and we’ve got that. 
Nevertheless, competition is a 
part of athletics, and it’s in¬ 
evitable that you become com¬ 
petitive at some level, either with 
yourself, another player, or anoth¬ 
er team. We still want to win. We 
still want the gold. But that 
doesn’t mean that we’ll forget 
what this is all about.” 

What this is all about is not 
just participation and enjoyment, 
of course, but gay pride and self- 
respect. “The main reason I join¬ 
ed the team is because I love soc¬ 
cer,” notes Josh. “But another 
reason is that I enjoy spending 
time in the company of other gay 
men. I can be myself here. There 
is no fear of being condemned 
because of my sexuality, no need 
to prove my masculinity. This is 
a comfortable environment for 
me.” 

The sense of camaraderie that 
develops in this environment is 
something else that is important 
to Josh. “Whether we win or lose, 
it’s a team effort,” he notes, “and 
that’s a far more satisfying feel¬ 
ing than doing something on an 
individual basis.” Fortunately, 
that camaraderie lasts long after 
the season is over. Some of Josh’s 


best friends are fellow teammates 
from the 1982 team; his room¬ 
mate is also a former teammate. 

Looking ahead to the 1986 
Games, Josh is pleased that this 
year four other teams instead of 
one will be competing—New 
York, Seattle, Fhoenix, and 
Denver. The series will be held 
not at Kezar Stadium but at the 
brand-new fields behind St. Ig¬ 
natius High School at 39th and 
Quintara, and the first game is 
scheduled for Aug. 12. Naturally, 
Josh is hoping attendance at the 
games will improve over the 
dismal showing at the 1982 soc¬ 
cer matches. It matters to him 
“because I want to know that the 
community supports us. Maybe 
we’re not showing as much flesh 
as the bodybuilders, but still we 
should be supported.” Josh, a 
bodybuilder himself who is 
employed at a local gay gym, 
believes soccer isn’t as popular a 
game as it might be because “the 
average gay man in San Fran¬ 
cisco didn’t grow up with the 
sport. He doesn’t know the rules 
and hasn’t developed an ap¬ 
preciation for it.” 

Actually, Josh hopes the com¬ 
munity will support all the 
athletes of the Gay Games, not 
just the soccer players, for 
reasons he sees as vital. “We’re 
all going through a hell of a lot 
right now with AIDS, and it’s real 
easy to get caught up with nega¬ 
tivity. Lots of us are depressed. 
But the games are a good way to 
focus on the positive again. They 
can give us a great feeling and 
prove that we’re still surviving as 
a community, that we’re still en¬ 
joying each other’s company. 
Personally, I lost my best friend 
to AIDS this year—Earl Belk, the 
head medic for the last games— 
but even though I don’t have him 
to share this with me this time, 
I’m still going to focus on who 
and what I do have for as long as 
I have it. The games is part of all 
that.” 

By this time the other players 
are getting restless, and Josh gets 
up to lead them in a few drills. 
The interview is complete, but I 
do not leave until I get a chance 
to see for myself what the Games 
are all about, according to Josh 
and friends. “Can you join us?” 
asks Mark Koval. “We need a 
human obstacle for this drill.” I 
agree, thinking that at least I am 


capable of that, and reflecting 
that with any luck at all perhaps 
I’ll be tackled in the process, per¬ 
haps by the skinny young man 
with the curly hair in the white 
shorts. 

H owever, this does not hap¬ 
pen, and when the drills 
are over, Mark and Josh 
suggest I play with the team. 
Again I agree, although I have 
not kicked a soccer ball in well 
over ten years. I am assigned to 
play fullback (which is somewhat 
analogous to an outfielder in 
baseball, or as far away from the 
action as you can get, as long as 
your team is on the move). Kick¬ 
ing at a gopher hole instead of a 
soccer ball, I feel somewhat like 
one of the inept celebrity players 
on $10,000 Pyramid, the one who 
always puts his teammates at a 
disadvantage because he plays so 
poorly. But my teammates in this 
case don’t seem to care, so nei¬ 
ther do I. 

In fact, for the first 15 minutes 
I have a blast. I especially enjoy 
the fellow in the pink bicycle cap, 
the team camp, who, after mak¬ 
ing a mistake, places his hands on 
his hips and pouts, “Tina made 
me do it!” I also enjoy the man 
who shouts, “Solo, Carlo, solo. 
Shoot, doll!” and the one who 
cheers, “Good play, Phil. We love 
you, Phil!” I have been here only 


Brooklynite Dodges 
Gays, Wants To 
Repeal Rights Bill 

NEW YORK—A New York 
City councilmember is attempt¬ 
ing a referendum drive designed 
for the repeal of Local Law 2, the 
recently watered-down gay rights 
bill in the city. Noach Dear, a 
Brooklyn councilmember, is the 
leader of the new Family Rights 
Coalition. He wants to get a 
referendum on NYC’s November 
ballot and amend the City Char¬ 
ter in order to restrict the City 
Council’s power to establish 
“protected classes” not already 
listed in the new York State 
Human Rights Law. The Empire 
State’s state law does not include 
lesbians and gay men. 

Several legal experts feel Dear 
may be bucking a sexual rights 
trend at the wrong crossing. Most 
New Yorkers, they say, favor the 
gay rights law. 

Dear claims that most New 
Yorkers are opposed to Local 
Law 2, but a poll in the June 5 
issue of the New York Daily News 
indicated that most New Yorkers 
don’t agree with Dear. Fifty-six 
percent of the 503 persons poll¬ 
ed were in favor of Local Law 2. 

The New York Native 


team. 

I would continue to enjoy the 
game, but suddenly, with no war¬ 
ning at all, I hear a wrenching 
sound in my knee. My leg gives 
way under me, and I collapse in 
agony, writhing on the ground. 
Because there is no one anywhere 
near me, I cannot blame this on 
anyone except perhaps the in¬ 
dustrious gopher I have seen 
earlier. I am simply a 34-year-old 
incompetent whose spirit is will¬ 
ing but whose flesh is weak. Yet 
no one laughs. No one makes fun 
of the asshole reporter doing the 
George Plimpton routine, and I 
hobble off the field with my hon¬ 
or and pride intact. 

Despite my injury, I hang 
around long enough to listen to 
the post-practice discussion 
about a team uniform. The team 
camp, naturally, insists on pearls 
and a mink collar to complement 
his outfit. Before any decisions 
can be reached, however, anoth¬ 
er pesky gopher (or the same one 
I am blaming) raises his nasty lit¬ 
tle head, and the team camp 
screeches, “EEk- My snatch!” 
The other players pelt the gopher 
with orange peels, and I decide 
it is time to leave, past the rugby 
players who still look cute—but 
who are entirely too straight for 
me today. • 


Illinois Senate OKs 
Testing Bill Which 
Provides Anonymity 

SPRINGFIELD, IL-The 

Illinois State Senate passed a bill 
“which protects public health by 
insuring the privacy of individ¬ 
uals who are the subject of blood 
testing for antibodies to the 
HTLV-3 virus.” The bill, spon¬ 
sored by Sen. William Marovitz, 
was based on recommendations 
of Gov. James Thompson’s AIDS 
Advisory Group. The bill will now 
go to Thompson and probably 
will be signed. 

SB 2074, as Marovitz’ bill is 
called, states that “No person 
shall perform a test for the pres¬ 
ence of the antibody to HTLV-3 
without first receiving the writ¬ 
ten, informed consent of the sub¬ 
ject of the test or the subject’s 
legally authorized represen¬ 
tative.” 

Marovitz claims that someone 
who wishes anonymity will have 
that right. He said his bill says a 
pseudonym or a code in lieu of 
his or her legal name may be 
used. The bill also prohibits any 
tester from disclosing names of 
those tested. 

—The Windy City Times 
of Chicago 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 14 
















Be Careful In Granting 
Powers of Attorney 


I n January, Barry was 
diagnosed with AIDS-Re- 
lated Complex (ARC). In 
March, he was told he had AIDS. 
Having been a responsible per¬ 
son all of his life, he felt he should 
get his affairs in order. He own¬ 
ed a car, a small piece of proper¬ 
ty at the Russian River and had 
some cash in the bank. 

He wrote a will so that his lov¬ 
er and his elderly mother would 
be protected. He gave his power 
of attorney to an associate at work 
whom he felt would be more clear 
headed in times of crisis to man¬ 
age his affairs than his lover or 
his mother. In June, this 
“trusted” associate transferred 
and sold his Russian River prop¬ 
erty and his car. He emptied the 
bank account and no one has 
seen him since. 

Barry is now at home recover¬ 
ing from his second bout with 
pneumocystis. He has no cash, no 
car, no property and he is a mess. 

John has KS. Fearing that no 
one would be around to care for 
him when he got sick, he deeded 
his home to his lover of six 
months with the expectation that 
the lover would look after him 
and care for him. Two months 
later the lover tired of the task 
and moved out. The home is now 
in the lover’s name who says that 
it was a gift from John. 

These stories were made up for 
the purpose of writing this arti¬ 
cle. Unfortunately, there are too 
many similar stories that have 
happened to real people. Estate 
planning is important to all of us. 
It is especially important if you 
are ill. What tools are available to 
guide us in our future planning 
and what are the ramifications of 
the use of these tools? 

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT 

If you want control over how 
your assets are distributed at the 
time of your death, then you must 
have a will. In the absence of a 
will, the Probate Code deter¬ 
mines who gets your assets and it 
will be your next of kin (children, 
heterosexual spouse, living par¬ 
ents, etc.). With a will, however, 
you can give your real and per¬ 
sonal property to anyone you 
wish. 

There are two types of wills. If 
you own any real estate or if the 
total value of all of your proper¬ 
ty including cash, furniture, 
clothes, jewelry, stocks, etc. ex¬ 
ceeds $30,000, then your estate 
will have to be probated. 

We tend to think that probate 
is a bad or cumbersome process. 
In reality, probate is meant as a 
protection for the estate of the 
deceased to see that the proper¬ 
ty of the deceased is adminis¬ 
tered efficiently, that is, not allow¬ 
ed to lose value after the person’s 
death and that the property ac¬ 
tually goes to whom the deceas¬ 
ed wants to get it. 

In this situation, I would 
recommend a formal will, that is, 
one prepared by a lawyer who has 
knowledge of the probate laws 
and will see that it is properly ex¬ 
ecuted. Likewise, I would recom¬ 
mend a formal will in any situa¬ 
tion where you fear that a relative 
may come in and challenge the 
will. Some relatives cannot ac¬ 
cept the fact that you would want 
to leave your property to a lover 
or a friend. A formal will is a pro¬ 
tection that the relative will not 
be successful in setting aside the 
will. 

If, on the other hand, your 


estate is modest and you simply 
want the peace of mind in know¬ 
ing that your favorite items go to 
those you love, then a handwrit¬ 
ten or holographic will might be 
appropriate. You may put any 
gifts or provisions in the hand¬ 
written will you wish. 

There are, however, three 
essential requirements that must 
be met in order for a holographic 
will to be valid. It must be totally 
in the handwriting of the person 
writing the will. It must be dated, 
and it must be signed. Without 
these three requirements being 
met, the will is not valid and 
would not be recognized. 

DIRECTIVE TO PHYSICIANS 

This is often confused with a 
power of attorney which is used 
to give authority for one person 
to manage the property of anoth¬ 
er person. A Directive to Physi¬ 
cians is the document authoriz¬ 
ed by the California Natural 
Death Act which directs doctors 
not to use life sustaining pro¬ 
cedures which would serve to ar¬ 
tificially prolong the moment of 
death in those situations where 
the physician determined that 
death is imminent, whether or 
not life sustaining procedures are 
utilized. 

That is, if death is imminent 
and you have executed a Direc¬ 
tive to Physicians, your doctor is 
instructed to withdraw or with¬ 
hold extraordinary means to pro¬ 
long your life. The Directive to 
Physicians is like a will in that it 
must be witnessed by two adults 
who are not related to you by 
blood or marriage, are not 
employed by your health care 
provider, are not mentioned by 
you in your will, and would have 
no claim on your estate. It is a 
printed form and is readily 
available. 

POWER OF ATTORNEY 

Unlike the Directive to Physi¬ 
cians which deals with medical 
decisions affecting terminally ill 
patients, a Power of Attorney is a 
document that gives another per¬ 
son the right to control your real 
and personal property. A very 
broad power of attorney grants 
another person the right to 
withdraw cash from your bank ac¬ 
count, sell your house, or borrow 
money in your name. It gives the 
person to whom the power is 
granted the same right to man¬ 
age your property that you have. 

It is the Power of Attorney that 
seems to be causing the most 
trouble with sick people today. 
They feel that the Power of At¬ 
torney is necessary in order to get 
their affairs in order in anticipa¬ 
tion of death. That is not the case. 
Decisions affecting disposition of 
property after one’s death should 
be left in the will. A will can be 
changed at any time prior to 
death should the testator so de¬ 
sire. 

The wrongful use of a Power of 
Attorney, however, may be im¬ 
possible to correct. Many people 
think a Power of Attorney is 
necessary in order to accomplish 
what is properly reserved for a 
Directive to Physicians. I strongly 
advise seeking professional coun¬ 
selling from a lawyer before ex¬ 
ecuting a Power of Attorney. 

DEEDING PROPERTY PRIOR 
TO DEATH 

Life the power of attorney, ex¬ 
ecuting deeds, transferring 
ownership of real property, has 


become a common source of 
abuse and misery. One of the 
reasons I hear for deeding prop¬ 
erty prior to death is to avoid 
estate taxes. 

This is not going to be an issue 
unless you own a good deal of 
property with a total estate value 
of near $750,000. Even then, 
deeding the property would sub¬ 
ject you to gift taxes which are 
based on the same rates. Trans¬ 
fers to avoid taxes is not par¬ 
ticularly wise and subject to be¬ 
ing set aside in any event. 

Another frequently given rea¬ 
son for deeding property prior to 
death is to avoid probate. Again, 
this is the tail wagging the dog. 
Probate is intended as a protec¬ 
tion. The probate court watches 
the administration of the estate 
and makes certain that property 
is not squandered and that it is 
disposed of in accordance with 
your desires as expressed in your 
will. 

I strongly advise against deed¬ 
ing away property prior to death. 
Once you have done it, it is per¬ 
manent. The circumstances justi¬ 
fying it at the time may change. 
The anticipated help and care 
from the one to whom the prop¬ 
erty was deeded may not be there. 

Additionally, you may need the 
property for your own support or 
for the ultimate protection of a 
loved one. 

If you insist on changing title 
to the property to avoid probate 
then you can put the property in 
your name along with someone 
else as a joint tenant with right of 
survivorship. At least this way you 
do not lose total control of the 
property until the time of your 
death. It substantially limits the 
flexibility you have in disposing 
of the property, however. 

The best alternative for dis¬ 
posal of property at the time of 
death continues to be a properly 
executed will. It is my strong 
belief that a properly drawn will 
coupled with a Directive to Physi¬ 
cians and perhaps a very narrow¬ 
ly drawn and limited Power of At¬ 
torney, depending on your cir¬ 
cumstances, is the best form of 
estate planning for all of us 
wether ill or not. 

SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE 

There are resources available 
to help in estate planning for peo¬ 
ple who are ill, even if you are 
unable to pay for it. For a refer¬ 
ral to a competent lawyer who can 
handle your case on a sliding fee 
or no fee at all basis, I would 
recommend contacting Bay Area 
Lawyers for Individual Freedom 
(BALIF) AIDS Legal Referral 
Panel at 864-8186. • 

_ Thomas E. Horn 

Non-Bias Policy 
Adopted By NFPA 

The National Federation of 
Paralegal Associations, Inc. 
(NFPA) adopted a nondiscrim- 
inatory clause into its by-laws 
regarding sexual orientation at 
its 1986 Annual Meeting at the 
Claremont Hotel in Oakland, 
June 13-17. 

The NFPA is a professional or¬ 
ganization comprised of 39 
associations and represents over 
10,000 paralegals nationwide. 

The East Bay Association of 
Legal Assistants (EBALA) hosted 
this year’s meeting and also pro¬ 
posed this addition. EBALA can 
be reached at P.O. Box 424, 
Oakland, CA 94604. • 




FRA X CISCO 


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AN ASSOCIATION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS DEDICATED 
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Funeral and Memorial Tributes 
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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 15 




















































Black Leaders Urged 
To Confront Homophobia 

by Gil Gerald 

In a speech delivered on May 31 to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s (SCLCj 
National Conference on AIDS, Gil Gerald, executive director of the National Coalition of Black 
Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG}, called on the Black community to recognize racism and 
homophobia as key impediments to AIDS prevention and care among Blacks. The SCLC 
Conference on AIDS was the first AIDS conference organized by a major national Black 
organization in the United States. 

NCBLG, a network of3,000people, is the only autonomous Black lesbian and gay organiza¬ 
tion in the United States. &National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, 930 F. Street, N.W., 
Suite 514, Washington, DC, 20004, (2021 737-5276 


I am indeed honored to be able to address this SCLC/Women’s Conference on AIDS as a 
representative of an at risk community—sexually active Black gay men—and as a representative 
of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. Your actions come at a time when there 
are other prominent Black organizations who will not touch the subject of AIDS because of 
its association with the taboo topic of homosexuality, which is often viewed as some sort of white 
disease, and therefore alien to the Black community. 


Today, some five years into the 
AIDS crisis it is becoming more 
widely understood in the Black 
community that AIDS is having 
a far more devastating effect on 
those of us who are Black. This 
should not come as a surprise. 
Because of inequities in the 
health care delivery system and 
the disparities in education, diet, 
and economic well being between 
Blacks and whites, we are always 
struck harder by disease. One 
only need look at the continuing 
incidence of cancer, high blood 
pressure, heart disease, infant 
mortality and other health in¬ 
dicators to recognize this fact. 

More of us now know that 25 
percent of all 20,000 U.S. AIDS 
cases are Black. This compares 
with the fact that the Black com¬ 
munity only makes up about 12 
percent of the U.S. population. 
We also know that three out of 
every five children with AIDS are 
Black children and that one out 
of every two women with AIDS is 
a Black woman. We also know 
that four our of every ten people 
with AIDS are non-white—about 
8,000 of the 20,000 cases in the 
U.S. 

With all due respect to those of 
you who disagree, I believe that 
the proposition that this disease 
is God’s punishment on a class or 
category of people is as racist a 
proposition as it is homophobic, 
in view of the facts, not the myths, 
about AIDS. Indeed racism and 
homophobia, as well as classism, 
are key impediments to AIDS 
prevention and the care of people 
with AIDS in the Black com¬ 
munity. Let’s deal with racism 
and homophobia as an impedi¬ 
ment to health care delivery. 

Jeff Levi, executive director of 
the National Gay and Lesbian 
Task Force, informs me that over 
the past five years the gay and les- 
bian community has raised, 
matched, or exceeded the $500 to 
$600 million the government has 
poured into the AIDS health 
crisis. It is an example of what 
people can do for themselves in 
a society that spurns them. 

This effort by mostly white 
organizations had its limitations. 
Racism and racial divisions or 
separateness transcend sexual 
orientation. 

A study of Black gay men in 
the San Francisco area by Black 
psychologist Julius Johnson, ex¬ 


plores the fact that Black 
homosexuals have identity con¬ 
cerns which we resolve in a varie¬ 
ty of.ways. We often are made to 
feel we must choose between an 
emphasis on our identity as gays 
and our identity as Blacks, and 
that these identities are mutual¬ 
ly exclusive. By contrast the 
organization I represent is found¬ 
ed on the proposition that we can 
be whole—we need not choose— 
we can be both Black and gay, 
proud of both. Our current 
theme, “Black Pride and 
Solidarity: the New Movement of 
Black Lesbians and Gays” re¬ 
states the political and social im¬ 
plications of that consciousness. 

Blacks, who emphasize their 
gay identity, have adjusted to 
their personal encounter with 
gay oppression by socializing and 
adjusting to life in the white gay 
ghetto. His or her Black iden¬ 
tified gay brother and sister, on 
the other hand, remain physical¬ 
ly “closeted” in the Black com¬ 
munity and its institutions. 
Either option is a compromise. In 
the first case racism is accom¬ 
modated, and in the second, 
homophobia is accommodated. 
Both options represent complici¬ 
ty with a system of oppression 
that denies our very existence. 
You cannot provide services, 
health or otherwise, to a com¬ 
munity that does not exist. 

These facts have great reper¬ 
cussions. The networks and in¬ 
stitutions, of the gay community 
created to deal with the AIDS 
crisis cannot have much effect 
beyond those Black individuals 
who are already accessible to 
them. This represents a minori¬ 
ty of us, Black gays, and practical¬ 
ly none of the I.V. drug users. The 
language we use, our socializing 
patterns, as well as our numbers 
are very much still a mystery to 
the white gay community as a 
whole. 

The racism that permeates 
many gay establishments is a 
documented fact that has 
necessitated the enactment of 
antidiscrimination legislation in 
cities like Washington, D.C. This 
fact of alienation and separation 
in the gay community would not 
be as devastating if our political 
institutions—institutions like the 
National Coalition of Black Les¬ 
bians and Gays—were more de¬ 
veloped at this time in history. 
Black lesbian and gay organizing 


is still largely centered around 
our socializing needs and our 
need to remain hidden. We are 
less likely to risk alienation from 
our home community—the Black 
community—by politicizing the 
gay issue. 

This brings us to the issue of 
homophobia in the Black com¬ 
munity. We have been too eager 
to buy into the myths of AIDS 
and homosexuality that is per¬ 
petuated by the mass media— 
that these are white concerns. We 
have seen An Early Frost on TV 
and can empathize with the dif¬ 
ficulties of the family. However, 
the all-white cast of characters 
contributes to the distortion of 
the truth about the demograph¬ 
ics of AIDS. We read Newsweek 
magazine, and for the last fifteen 
years we see depicted a distorted 
picture of who lesbian and gay 
people are. 

We somehow remove ourselves 
from lesbian and gay people and 
then dare to celebrate the lives 
and contributions of James 
Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Langston 
Hughes, Bayard Rustin, Alain 
Locke, Countee Cullen, Bessie 
Smith, Porter Grainger, Lorraine 
Hansberry, Wallace Thurmond, 
Bruce Nugent, and Sylvester— 
all people we love and appreciate 
for their contributions to com¬ 
munity life. 

Effective programs for the 
prevention of AIDS in the Black 
community will require some 
frank and open dialogue that 
acknowledges the transmission 
modes of this disease and the ex¬ 
istence of Black lesbians and 
gays among us who lead, and 
have always led, both exemplary 
and ordinary lives. Examination 
of the statistics indicate that in¬ 
travenous drug abuse and sexual 
transmission contribute equally 
to the incidence of AIDS among 
Blacks. The issue of AIDS cannot 
be tackled without acknowledg¬ 
ing both of these facts. 

If we are to make some head¬ 
way in stopping the spread of 
AIDS and AIDS hysteria, we 
must recognize the social, 
political, and economic implica¬ 
tions of the crisis. 

People with AIDS require sup¬ 
port, services, and love like any 
other individual who is ill. It can 
be an extremely difficult time for 
persons affilicted with AIDS and 
their families. It is likely to be the 



Gil Gerard (Photo: S. Farmer) 


time when the individual must 
confront his or her family with 
the truth of his or her lifestyle, 
whether it be that of one of a 
myriad of gay lifestyles, or that of 
an intravenous drug user. 

People with AIDS are likely to 
encounter more discrimination 
than they already experience, and 
at a time when they are more like¬ 
ly than not to be within three 
years of death at an early age. 
Persons with AIDS often have a 
reduced capacity for providing 
for themselves because they have 
been unfairly terminated from 
their regular jobs or are too ill to 
work. The insurance companies 


as a community, to not unders¬ 
tand and support the need for 
legislation of this kind all over 
the country. 

Blacks with AIDS are dying 
quicker than their white counter¬ 
parts. Diagnosis is likely to come 
at more advanced stages of the 
disease and we have less access to 
the best available care. It is the 
ultimate tragedy that those of us 
who come down with AIDS might 
seek refuge among strangers in 
our hour of need. 

In conclusion, it is the position 
of the National Coalition of 
Black Lesbians and Gays that 
Black institutions need to get in¬ 


'Blacks, who emphasize their gay identity, 
have adjusted to their personal encounter 
with gay oppression by socializing and ad¬ 
justing to life in the white gay ghetto/ 

— Gil Gerald 


under the guise of protecting 
everyone’s insurance rates from 
going up are beginning to deny 
insurance to people who are 
AIDS antibody positive. 

One million people are believ¬ 
ed to now be AIDS antibody 
positive, many of them Black and 
poor. Only a small portion of 
them are expected to develop 
ARC or full blown AIDS. Yet, the 
insurance industry proposes to 
deny all of them insurance. While 
most of these people will not 
develop AIDS, they will need 
health insurance to cover other 
ailments. It would be folly for us, 


volved more aggressively in pur¬ 
suing funding for our own pro¬ 
grams in AIDS prevention, and 
information. Furthermore we 
need to provide AIDS related 
support services for people with 
AIDS and the families of people 
with AIDS in the community. 

The most effective programs 
will be those that refrain from be¬ 
ing judgemental, involve mem¬ 
bers of the at risk communities, 
and focus on providing useful 
medical information and caring 
services to those afflicted with, 
and at risk for AIDS. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 16 







Scalia Nixed 
Gay Privacy Rights 

Reagan Court Nominee Doesn't Believe 
In Constitutional Right to Privacy 

by George Mendenhall 

Judge Antonin Scalia, Pres. Ronald Reagan's nominee for 
a U.S. Supreme Court justice, voted with a U.S. Court of 
Appeals ruling two years ago that said private, consensual sex 
of gay people is not protected by the constitution. The con¬ 
servative judge is a Roman Catholic with nine children who 
was appointed to the Appeals court by Reagan in 1982. Scalia 
is expected to be approved after upcoming U.S. Senate hear¬ 
ings. 


The controversial ruling in¬ 
volved James Dronenburg, a 
Navy linguist with nine years 
senority. He was found in his base 
quarters in a bed with an enlisted 
man. Dronenburg claimed that 
his privacy had been invaded and 
that he was entitled to private 
consensual sex under the con¬ 
stitution. The Navy disagreed. 

Dronenburg was discharged 
because he violated an establish¬ 
ed “instruction” that any sailor 
who “solicits, attempts or 
engages in homosexual acts shall 
normally be separated from the 
service.” The Navy claimed that 
his presence “seriously impairs 
combat readiness, efficiency, 
security and morale.” 

National Gay Rights Advocates 
(NGRA) took the Dronenburg 
case through the courts. A three- 
judge panel of the U.S. Court of 
appeals unanimously ruled 
against private consensual sex for 
gay people. NGRA asked for a re¬ 
hearing, but it was denied. 
NGRA decided not to appeal, 
fearing a negative decision in the 
High Court. 

'NEW RIGHTS' 

The Dronenburg ruling was 
written by Judge Robert Bork, a 
longtime conservative critic of 
the Supreme Court’s interest in 
what he calls ‘new rights’ he 
believes are not guaranteed by 
the Constitution. Scalia chose to 
agree with Bork. 

Attorney Leonard Graff, 
NGRA executive director, said 
the Dronenburg lawyers argued 
that the Supreme Court already 
had established the right to 
privacy in matters related to sex¬ 
uality. These included cases in¬ 
volving abortion, the right to pur¬ 
chase contraceptives, and inter¬ 
racial marriage. Graff pointed to 
a Court decision this week which 
ruled that sexual harassment on 
the job was unconstitutional. 

“Bork went far beyond the 
facts in the case in his decision,” 
Graff said. “He and the other two 
justices used Dronenburg to run 
their conservative credentials up 
the flag pole for all to see.” This, 
he believes, will benefit Scalia. 

Scalia (Skuh LEE yuh) agreed 
with Bork’s contention during 
the Dronenburg ruling that the 
Supreme Court had not set any 
precedents in earlier sexually- 
related decisions. Bork said the 
High Court was “creating new 
rights” that lower courts didn’t 
need to follow. Bork said he was 
looking beyond these decisions to 
broader principles the Court had 
already “articulated.” 

Bork wrote, with Scalia’s ap¬ 
proval, “We would find it im¬ 
possible to conclude that a right 
to homosexual conduct is ‘fund¬ 
amental’ or ‘implicit in the con¬ 
cept of ordered liberty’ unless 
any and all private sexual be¬ 
havior falls within those categor¬ 
ies, a conclusion we are unwilling 
to draw.” 


WHAT IS A RIGHT? 

Scalia has made his position 
clear in a 1978 debate. “The 
Courts’ expansion stems, in part, 
from their function of deciding 
what are constitutional rights. 
Much of their activity is in that 
area, and I think they have gone 
too far. They have found rights 
where society never believed they 
existed. 

“The Courts have enforced 
other rights, so-called, on which 
there is no societal agreement, 


Judge Antonin Scalia: gay people don't like him. 


from the abortion codes and 
things of that sort. There is no 
national consensus about those 


things and there never has been. 
The courts have no business be¬ 
ing there. That is one of the prob¬ 


lems; they are calling rights 
things which we do not all agree 
on” 

Graff believes all might not be 
lost with Scalia on the court “al¬ 
though I wouldn’t put money on 
it.” He said there have been sur¬ 
prises on the Supreme Court in 
the past. “Harry Blackman was 
a Nixon appointee but ended up 
being a liberal and William Bren¬ 
nan, appointed by Eisenhower, 
became more progressive that we 
expected. Byron White was a 
Kennedy appointment but be¬ 
came a moderate conservative. 
Scalia is now at the height of his 
career and he is no longer under 
pressure. Maybe his conservativ- 
ism will become more moderate,” 
said Graff. 

Scalia has already missed what 
some attorneys believe is the 
, most important Supreme Court 
ruling concerning gay rights. 
The case, Hardwick v. Bowers 
contests Georgia’s sodomy law 
that provides a 20-year prison 
sentence for any act of sodomy. 
Michael Hardwick was arrested 
for sodomy in 1982. He was found 
in bed with another man in 1982 
when a police officer entered 
with a warrant for an unpaid traf¬ 
fic ticket. The Hardwick decision 
will be one of 40 announced be¬ 
fore the Court adjourns in July. • 

G. Mendenhall 


An Urgent Appeal 

from 

Shanti Project 


With more than two 
new cases being 
diagnosed in San 
Francisco each 
day, Shanti Project 
is in critical need 
of volunteers to 
provide emotional 
support to persons 
with AIDS and 
their loved ones. 

Currently, all of 


Volunteers 

Needed 


The next Emotional Support 
Training will begin the weekend 
of July 11th, and will be continued 
the weekend of July 18,1986. 

To volunteer, please call Shanti 
Project at 558-9644. 


our 350 volunteers 
are at near full 
capacity. In order to 
avoid a waiting list 
for the people we 


serve, we need a 
minimum of sixty 
new volunteers for 
the July training. 

One way to show 
that you care about 
what is happening 
in our community 
is to volunteer a 
few hours of your 
time each week at 
Shanti Project. 


V ShantiProject 

Affection not Rejection 
558-9644 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 17 

















































































































































































Tife’s is 'Entertainment! 

if July 4 - Qay Marching “Band Ov/irliny Corps 

if July 5 - ‘Fireworks in the Meadow 

if July 6 - Com ‘Ammiano 

Napata Mero &-* her hand 

if Che Fool at ‘Drum s is Novi Open 

All new furnishings will make 
your stay at Fifes 
more comfortable 
than ever! Enjoy 
the charm of 
country cabins in 
the heart of the wine 
country. 


Summer Season Open Daily March 28th thru September 27th 
Write PO Box 45, Guerneville CA 95446 


Call now 
for 

reservations! 


(707) 869-0656 



WE'VE CHANGED OUR NAME, 
BUT NOTOUR COMMITMENT. 


If you wish to make further contributions in time or money, contact 
441-6407 or 1550 California St., Suite 3, San Francisco, CA 94109. 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT PAID FOR BY A SPECIAL GRANT AND NOT FROM FUNDS FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS 


• EMERGENCY FINANCIAL 
ASSISTANCE. 

• DIRECT GRANTS & SERVICES 
FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS. 

• OVER $53,000 DISTRIBUTED 
FROM JANUARY THRU MAY 
1986. 

• AN ALL-VOLUNTEER, NON¬ 
PROFIT, NON-POLITICAL TAX- 
EXEMPT ORGANIZATION. 

• ESTABLISHED IN 1982 AS THE 
SAN FRANCISCO AIDS FUND. 

• SHARING OUR LOVE; 

NOW MORE THAN EVER. 


AIDS EMERGENCY FUND 


PROVIDING DIRK T ASSISTANCE FOR PF RSONS WITH AIDS 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 19 













c° 


Support Group now forming 

Gay Men in their 40’s and 50’s 

the Challenge of Mid-Life 

HAL SLATE, M.A. 

MFCC Reg Intern sut>e-v.sor Alan Rockway, PhH, be Psy Sliding Fees (415) 83g 1?54 




STEPHEN T. BAKER, M.D. 


DERMATOLOGY 

Diseases and Surgery of the Skin 
4105 Nineteenth Street (at Castro 
San Francisco, California 94114 

( 415 ) 864-6400 

appointments till 7 p.m. 



One in three gay men has a problem with alcohol. Do you? 
Your life can be more fulfilling and less of a hassle. Get 
sober and start enjoying life. 

We provide out-patient counseling to gay men with drug 
and alcohol problems. Our sliding scale fees mean no one is 
turned away. Insurance payments are accepted. 

Our staff is gay. We understand your lifestyle and con¬ 
cerns. We can help. Call us. 

18 th Street Services 

861-4898 


New Breakthrough 
Improves Immune 
System Function 


A new breakthrough program 
that promotes improved immune 
system function is now availa¬ 
ble. It is a medically approved, 
premeasured combination of 
highly absorbable, hypo-allerge¬ 
nic nutrients, anti-oxidents, and 
glandular preparations balanced 
for proper metabolism and max¬ 
imum synergistic effectiveness. 

This is a safe, direct approach 
to support and improve your im¬ 
mune system. The instructions 
are simple. The regimen is con¬ 


venient. No prescription re¬ 
quired. All ingredients are medi¬ 
cally approved and have no 
known side effects. 

Depleted immune systems are 
implicated in allergies, colds, 
AIDS, flu and in many subtle 
feelings of generalized poor 
health. A 30-day trial regimen is 
available in tables for $39.95. 
Call 1-800-255-9500, ext. 775 or 
fill out and mail the order form 
below with your check or Visa or 
Mastercard information. 


ImmunePack Order Form 


Name _ 

Address 


City_ 

State/Zip__ 

Visa MasterCard 
Card# _ 


Money Order Check 


Exp. Date __ __ 

Signature _ 

Make check or M.O. payable to Nutrition Associates, Inc., 2789 
Philmont Ave., Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 

1 Month Supply □ $39.95* 2 Month Supply $74.95* 

3 Month Supply $109.95 
* Add $3.50 postage and handling. 

To order by phone using credit card, call: 1-800-255-9500, ext. 775 
(Toll free) Nutrition Associates, Inc., 2769 Philmont Ave., Huntingdon 
Valley, PA 19006 


NEWS 

YOU 

NEED 

TO 

KNOW. 


B.A.R' 


BAY AREA REPORTER SUBSCRIPTION FORM 

1528 15th Street 26 Issues $35.00 

San Francisco, CA 94103 52 Issues $65.00 


DOMESTIC RATES 


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Address 


City/State/Zip. 


Greg Day 
Launches Drive 
For School Board 

by Charles Linebarger 

Greg Day, long an activist on school and youth issues, has 
told the Bay Area Reporter that he intends to run for a spot 
on the San Francisco Board of Education. 

Day said he will be running for the board as an indepen¬ 
dent. “Thus far the incumbents on the board have been 
reluctant to support a gay candidate,' said Day, “even though 
the gay community has consistently supported the 
incumbents.” 


“We have a situation where 
the incumbents are expecting to 
receive the full support of the gay 
community. They’re counting on 
our votes to be re-elected but thus 
far they’ve been reluctant to sup¬ 
port our direct participation in 
the board. I’m expecting that 
situation to change,” he said. 

Day’s decision comes in the 
wake of the creation of a slate of 
two candidates backed by Cecil 
Williams of Glide Memorial 
Church, Assembly Speaker Wil¬ 
lie Brown, and Nancy Honig, wife 
of state schools superintendent 
Bill Honig. The aim of the slate 
is to unseat board president Myra 
Kopf. Day, the gay candidate, was 
passed over by the anti-Kopf 
group. 

Day said he is not running 
against any particular candidate 
and that his campaign will not be 
part of any faction or slate. “I 
think that gay teachers, students 
and parents in the district need 
to have someone to represent 
their interests. With the La 
Rouche initiative, which targets 
both students and faculty, it’s 
more important than ever to field 
a candidate.” 

The gay school board candi¬ 
date is also optimistic about his 
chances for election. “The gay 
community is the single most 
predictable voting group in San 
Francisco. In a city-wide election, 
we consistently make up 22 per¬ 
cent of the vote. That is the 
reason we have so much cam¬ 
paigning in the gay community 
by candidates from other com¬ 
munities. Unfortunately, we do 
not take our own power as 
seriously as other people in San 
Francisco do.” 

Day is a former teacher at an 
inner-city school in Atlanta, and 
former instructor at Rutgers 
University. He has been co-chair 
of the campaign to reopen San 


Francisco’s playgrounds after 
school, a member of the Mayor’s 
Council on Children, Youth and 
Families, co-chair of the Youth 
Emergency Services Coalition, 
member of the Family Life and 
Health Education Committee of 
the school district and founder 
and chair of the Lesbian and Gay 
Youth Advocacy Council. 

The rebel slate was originally 
intended to field three can¬ 
didates for the school board. 
That was changed to only two 
candidates, Sidonia Wilson and 
Dr. Leland Lee, after Day entered 
the race, according to Roberto 
Esteves, president of the Alice B. 
Toklas Democratic Club. 

Esteves welcomed Day’s can¬ 
didacy and noted the fact that 
since Day had not been included 
in the anti-Kopf slate, he would 
not be receiving any help from 
the $200,000 campaign chest 
that the well-heeled group is 
amassing. 

“Greg felt, and I agree with 
him,” said Esteves, “that with 
LaRouche on the ballot, as well as 
the fact that we have a gay person 
running for the College Board 
(Paul Wotman), and we have an¬ 
other candidate for the Board of 
Supervisors (Pat Norman), that it 
was only logical for us to run a 
candidate for the Board of Edu¬ 
cation.” 

Esteves said, “The important 
thing about this is that the gay 
community doesn’t have to be 
only on the defensive as a result 
of the LaRouche initiative. We 
can turn our anger into some 
positive energy.” 

Tom Ammiano, gay teacher 
and comic, ran for the Board of 
Education in 1980 and did sur¬ 
prisingly well for a gay man run¬ 
ning without mainstream en¬ 
dorsements. He won 50,000 votes, 
ranking sixth, or just two places 



Greg Day (Photo: Rink) 



Roberto Esteves 

(Photo: Rink) 
away trom a seat on the Board. 
Ammiano was endorsed in his 
race by a current candidate. Jew¬ 
el Anderson. 

Anderson received high marks 
from long-time gay activist. Hank 
Wilson, who also noted that 
Sidonia Wilson, on the anti-Kopf 
slate, has been “unhelpful” dur¬ 
ing her term on the board. 

Day is likely to win near 
universal support in the gay com¬ 
munity but whether he finds a 
seat on the Board of Education 
will depend also on the support 
he garners in the city’s other 
communities. 

“The school district has a 
budget of over $300 million a 
year,” said Day. “It is educating 
the future citizens who will have 
a direct impact on our lives. 
These young people have got to 
have a good education that in¬ 
cludes factual and positive infor¬ 
mation about our community. 
And that’s why the school board 
should be our first objective in 
electing a representative from 
our community.” • 


Stars Come Out 
For Film Fest 


by Charles Linebarger 

The tenth annual San Francisco International Lesbian and 
Gay Film Festival opened at the Castro Theatre Friday, June 
20 to a sold out house of over 8,000 ticket holders. The thea¬ 
ter filled for two feature showings of the evening in a 
demonstration of community support for America’s preem¬ 
inent gay film festival. 

A huge throng lined the block of Castro between Market and 
18th Streets waiting to enter the theater as Sistah Boom, a les¬ 
bian percussion and dancing group, entertained onlookers. 

Upstairs, inside the movie pal¬ 
ace, a two-hour reception was 
held to honor this year’s Film¬ 
makers. Jaime Humberto Her- 
mosillo, Mexican director of the 
film which kicked off the festival 
this year Dona Herlinda and Her 
Son , told the Bay Area Reporter 
that this was his first Film using 
gay characters. 


“It’s very difficult to get mon¬ 
ey to make films now,” said Her- 
mosillo, “because we are in a very 
difficult situation with the 
economy, and of course, it is even 
more difficult with gay Films. I 
don’t see any trouble distributing 
this film in Mexico. Actually, our 
censorship board saw it and lik¬ 
ed it very much and put the film 


in the National Cinematheque 
for two months.” 

Hans Fadler, Austrian director 
of Wiener Brut, the First Austrian 
gay film to come to the U.S., said 
of his film that it “just happen¬ 
ed to have a lot of gay charac¬ 
ters.” Fadler described his Film as 
a satire on Vienna. “The charac¬ 
ters play mostly themselves, but 
the story is totally fiction,” he 
said. Gay filmmaker and author, 
James Broughton, told the RA.R. 
he never misses a film festival, “I 
come whenever they invite me,” 
he said. “I’m preparing for my 
diamond jubilee in 1988.” 

Asked what he is doing today, 
Broughton said, “I’m doing my 
last film. It’s about me, what 
else? It’s my last film so it should 
be about the last things I have to 
say.” 

Rob Epstein, co-creator of the 
Academy Award winning Times 
of Harvey Milk, was on hand also. 
“Harvey Milk was here as a work 
in progress in ’82,” recalled Ep¬ 
stein. He is currently working 
(Continued on page 28) 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 20 













































Bingo Yields $10,000 
For Coming Home Hospice 


Four months ago, the members of the Most Holy Redeemer 
Neighborhood Support Group pledged to raise $30,000 
towards the renovation of Coming Home Hospice. The goal 
was large, but the volunteers believed in the project. In April, 
1986, 30 of the volunteers began a Thursday night Coming 
Home Hospice Bingo in the basement of the church. The 
word spread rapidly and the bingo’s success was almost im¬ 
mediate. On June 16 the volunteers presented Hospice of San 
Francisco with the first $10,000 installment on their pledge 
of $30,000. They expect to raise the balance by the end of 
December, 1986. 


Coordinator Ron Black 
describes the support from the 
Castro area merchants as en¬ 
thusiastic and very generous— 
they have consistently donated 
prizes to the bingo. The weekly 
players, now numbering more 
than 250, enjoy serious bingo, 
with prizes of $150 per game. The 
30 bingo volunteers circulate in 
bright blue T-shits, offering 
assistance and chances at 
“cherry pulls” for fifty cents 
each, as well as serving hot dogs, 
nachos, and sodas. The volun¬ 
teers range from 22-73 years of 
age, from all backgrounds. The 
things they have in common are 
energy, enthusiasm, and a 
sincere desire to help neighbor^ 
and friends in the community 
who are dying of AIDS and other, 
ilnesses. 


cisco will provide supervision, 
care, and most of all, loving sup¬ 
port for the residents. Renova¬ 
tions are scheduled to begin the 
first week of August, 1986 and 
continue for 16-18 weeks. 

The volunteers of the Most 
Holy Redeemer Neighborhood 
Support Group are represen¬ 
tative of the hundreds of people 
who have become involved with 
the Coming Home Hospice Pro¬ 
ject. From the interior designers 
to the volunteer painters, the 
community has come out strong¬ 
ly and compassionately for this 
effort. Fundraisers have been well 
supported and the campaign is 
nearly halfway to its goal of 
$450,000 for renovations, equip¬ 
ment, and furnishings. • 



The volunteers at the Coming Home Hospice Bingo Night (Photo: Rink) 

Forward Together- 

No Turning Back 


Coming Home Hospice will 
provide a residential setting for 
up to fifteen people in the former 
convent building. The environ¬ 
ment will be warm, inviting, and 
as home-like as possible. More 
than 100 volunteers as well as 
staff from Hospice of San Fran- 


July 4 With Great 
Outdoors 

The 4th of July in San Fran¬ 
cisco will prove to be one of Great 
Outdoors’ most memorable ac¬ 
tivities. Members and guests can 
join us for the full day of fun and 
food on Friday the 4th, and/or 
camp with us Thursday, Friday 
and Saturday, all happening at 
Kirby Cove. 

Reservations for camping and 
the picnic are on a first come first 
served basis. The cost is $15 per 
person which includes overnight 
camping fees and a great picnic 
on Friday, July 4. The 4th picnic 
alone is only $6. Call Bob Dressel 
to reserve a camp site at 585-0958 
from 10-12 noon on Saturdays 
and 7:30-9:00 p.m. Wednesdays 
or leave a message at 864-6870. • 


NAMBLA Journal 
Available 

NAMBLA Journal Seven, a 
publication of the North 
American Man/Boy Love Associa¬ 
tion, is now available at leading 
gay and progressive bookstores. 

The 80-page double-issue jour¬ 
nal contains short stories, poems, 
and major nonfiction articles by 
authors from Europe, the United 
Kingdom, and the United States. 

Contributors include the poets 
Antler and Hakim Bey, Dutch 
Sen. Edward Brongersma, Bel¬ 
gian activist Philippe Carpentier, 
novelist Kevin Esser, Allen 
Ginsberg, MinorProblems editor 
Mick Licarpa, Beat-era writer 
Harold Norse, German boy-love 
and gay activist Peter Schult, and 
poet David Emmerson Smith. 

Copies may also be ordered by 
mail from NAMBLA for $7 plus 
$1.75 postage. Write: NAMBLA 
Journal Seven, 537 Jones Street, 
#8418, San Francisco, CA 94102. 

• 


A SPECIAL APPEAL 
TO MBI OVER 45 


Some people have the 
mistaken notion that AIDS 
is a young man’s disease— 
that older men aren’t at 
great risk of contracting 
AIDS. 

The statistics indicate 
otherwise. There are cases 
of AIDS among newborn 
babies and cases of AIDS 
among gay men in their 
eighties. AIDS does not dis¬ 
criminate on the basis of 
age (or race, gender, or 
sexual orientation). 

In San Francisco, 35 per 
cent of men with AIDS 
are over 40. Nearly ten per 
cent of San Francisco AIDS 
cases are found in men 50 
and older. By contrast, only 
15 per cent of people with 
AIDS here are in their 
twenties. 

Studies conducted for the 
San Francisco AIDS Foun¬ 
dation by a professional 
research firm indicate that 
men over 45 in San Francisco, 


compared to any other 
demographic group in the 
local gay or bisexual male 
population, tend to be less 
knowledgeable about AIDS- 
prevention, and more likely 
to engage in anonymous 
Unsafe Sex than their 
younger counterparts. 

We urge men over 45 
to reassess their risk of con¬ 
tracting AIDS and to help 
spread the word to their 
contemporaries: Men over 
45 are definitely at risk 
for AIDS. 

Help is available. The 
STOP AIDS project, 621-7177, 
offers one-evening discus¬ 
sion groups about the AIDS 
epidemic for men of all ages; 
older men are especially 
welcome. The AIDS Health 
Project, 626-6637, provides 
eight-week support groups 
focused on issues of social 
support, health promotion, 
and AIDS. And, of course, 
the Foundation’s AIDS HOT¬ 


LINE, 863-AIDS, can provide 
the latest information on 
AIDS-risk and AIDS-preven- 
tion, as well as other 
referrals. 

Remember, with AIDS, 
it’s the sexual activity you 
engage in that counts, not 
how old you are. Please 
protect yourself and your 
partners from AIDS. 


adK 

FOUNDATION^ 



THE SAN FRANCISCO 
AIDS FOUNDATION 
333 Valencia St., 4th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94103 

415-863-AIDS 
Tbll Free in 
Northern California: 
800-FOR-AIDS 

TDD: 415-864-6606 


Major funding for the educational programs of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is provided by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 21 















NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 



Faeries believe in togetherness. (Photo: R. Beauregard) 


Gather In An Enchanted Land 

Faeries and Witches Circle Together to Heal Tensions 

by Tom Bond 

I knew it almost as soon as I arrived. Fresh from several months of running on overdrive in 
the city, we pulled into the Farallones Institute in Occidental. The first thing I saw as the car 
lurched over the potholes on the tiny, winding dirt road was a lovingly hand-painted sign saying 
“Time to Slow Down." It was the first hint of the love, care, and enchantment (the only word 
that fits) that I and several others would experience for the next three days. 

We were on a way to a gathering. A fairy gathering, but actually much more. It had been billed 
as an adventure of the soul, a “spiritual gathering with alternative healings," a title with just 
about every New Age buzz-word you could conveniently fit onto a flyer. But I knew r it would 
be more than that. 

It was to be the first time that 
the “fairy community” was to 
open a space for men and women 
to celebrate together. 

“Just follow the path through 
the garden to the dirt road, turn 
left and follow it to the dirt road, 
turn left and follow it to the pond. 

Men only on the far right, women 
only on the far left, and the area 
in the middle is for those that 
can’t decide, we were told. It 
seemed a logical plan. 

The next hint was the garden 
on the path as it wound its way 
toward the campsite. Nestled 
behind an aging wooden gate, it 
bloomed in all its splendor. 

It was enchanted. Rows upon 
rows of green leafy plants snug¬ 
gled up to the well-mulched rich 
brown earth between patches of 
blooming wildflowers and herbs. 

Vibrant colors leapt between lush 
green veggies in a seemingly ran¬ 
dom, yet somehow very right pat¬ 
tern. Nary a bug, mold, or any 
kind of disease was apparent. 

The whole place seemed to 
radiate an intense healthiness. 

The love that was poured into 
that garden was visible in every 
plant and seedling. 

By this time people were arriv¬ 
ing in a constant stream. Greet¬ 
ings and embraces flowed like 
water. I couldn’t stand still. 

Something about this place, or 
maybe the time, the full moon, or 
the people—beautiful, caring, 
aware, loving people—kept act¬ 
ing on my system like some kind 
of tonic. 

As I followed the path behind 
the solar greenhouse and dor¬ 
mitory, the woods closed in upon 
me like an embrace. Now, any 
fairy will tell you that getting a 
chance to throw off “civiliza¬ 
tion” and set your clock back to 
“nature-time” is where it’s at. 

But never had the impact been so 
rapid and intense. Quiet settled 
upon me as sunlight filtered 
through the tall trees. 

As I walked along I spied the 
stump of a giant redwood—per¬ 
haps six to eight feet in diameter. 

Secondary growth had sprouted 
from the stump to create a circle 
of now mature trees surrounding 
it like guardians. The inside was 
decaying into soft, golden chips 
of wood, making a kind of huge 
bowl, now filled with the spark¬ 
ling shaft of sun. I hugged that 
tree and cried. The time span of 
a tree can be very comforting 
after the mad rush of the city. 

The first night was windy and 
cold as the sun went down. Suffi¬ 
ciently so for me to wonder if all 
that flimsy fairy drag was going 
to be useless. About an hour after 
sunset, however, the wind died 



Z. Budapest, the lesbian witch (r.) 


(Photo: R. Beauregard) 


and the moon and the stars came 
out bathing the land in a silver 
glow—enchantment. 

We had a welcoming circle and 
dinner. Randy, the tall and 
amiable caretaker explained that 
this place was run by the 
Farallones Institute. They work¬ 
ed on a small portion, gardening 
exotic produce, and experiment¬ 
ed with “appropriate technol¬ 
ogy” to live lightly off the land. 
Most of the 80 acres were kept as 
undisturbed as possible. They 
had recently decided to open it 
up to “aware” groups to help 
support the land, while trying to 
keep the impact to a minimum. 
In short, it was a living, 
breathing, growing example of 
what many in the fairies have en¬ 


visioned as the ideal space for a 
sanctuary from the “real” world. 

Saturday was a day of sharing 
and delight, as well as some con¬ 
flict and disappointments. Z. 
Budapest led a wonderful circle 
as filled with light as the setting. 
At the pond, she explained much 
about the Dianic tradition and 
her experience as a feminist and 
a witch. 

“People get all upset if they 
hear that a witch might hex a 
man who has done violence to a 
woman. It’s all right for a woman 
to defend herself by going to 
some class where she learns to 
punch, gouge, and otherwise go 
for some guy’s vital spots. But it’s 
not all right to use the Art to 
make him break out in boils?” 


Z. explained the Dianic tradi¬ 
tion, the pantheon of goddesses 
and their relationship to our 
lives. She dwelt on Maderia, the 
goddess of endings, the one with 
the scissors who cuts the cord. 
She talked about how the gay 
community should take Hallo¬ 
ween more seriously. “That is the 
time to pay homage to endings 
and those who have gone before,” 
she said, ‘ ‘even if it is just to light 
a candle and acknowledge the 
powers that complete, before go¬ 
ing out to party all night. 

She led the group in some sim¬ 
ple, yet very powerful chants for 
raising energy. At one point, she 
led the circle in a rising chant 
which released energy through 
its participants. At the end, a 
huge gust of wind whipped 
through our hair, as if in 
acknowledgement. I must admit 
I do love special effects. 

Every gathering has one prin¬ 
cipal circle which seems to set the 
tone of the gathering. Often it is 
a healing circle, of sorts. Some¬ 
times at gatherings the energy 
starts to go wrong (well, nobody’s 
perfect. At first everybody pre¬ 
tends that nothing is really 
wrong. 

Then the circle will turn its col¬ 
lective attention to the prob¬ 
lem—now named and accepted- 
—and heal it. 

At this gathering, it was the ill- 


ease that having women present 
was causing. These varied from 
sexual tensions at the ritual to the 
inability to feel free to touch the 
opposite sex freely (as the men 
often do among themselves at 
gatherings). The women did not 
feel represented enough, not hav¬ 
ing a sufficient identity (the 
women were outnumbered about 
5 to 1). 

What ensued were some of the 
most healing discussions of the 
gathering. Space was created for 
the women to reclaim their iden¬ 
tity. Space was allowed for 
touching and sharing among 
both sexes. Acknowledgement 
was made that we had a long way 
to go, and acknowledgement was 
given that we were trying. In 
short, it was “love magic” at its 
best. 

As the circle ended with a 
group hug, someone said “look 
up at the sky!” A huge circular 
rainbow completely surrounded 
the sun. Love and care returned 
as beauty and magic. Whoops of 
joy and gasps of wonder ended 
this very special gathering. En¬ 
chanting. 

For those who would like more 
information about the fairies or 
the fairy sanctuary project, con¬ 
tact Touch Circle at RO. Box 
3350, Berkeley, CA 94703. • 


Volunteers Needed in ARC Treatment Study 


Two hundred volunteers with 
ARC are needed for a study on 
the effects of alternative 
medicine on the immune system. 
The study will attempt to show 
that aggressive treatment of the 
immune system by Chinese med¬ 
ical techniques will result in 
fewer opportunistic infections 
and improve immune function¬ 
ing. 

Volunteers will fill out an in- 
depth questionnaire at the begin¬ 
ning and end of the six-month 
study. Some will be selected to 
receive weekly treatment with 
Chinese herbs and acupuncture 
during the study. An equal 
number will receive additional 


treatment for ARC symptoms. 

The Immune Enhancement 
Project, which is conducting the 
study, wants volunteers who ex¬ 
hibit the symptoms of AIDS- 
Related Complex but who don’t 
have a life-thretening oppor¬ 
tunistic infection. ARC Symp¬ 
toms include weight loss, diar¬ 
rhea, night sweats and a general 
failure to thrive. Persons who 
have had Kaposi’s sarcoma for at 
least a year with no current infec¬ 
tions are also welcome. 

Project coordinators Jay Sor- 
dean and Susan Black say they 
are focusing on ARC because 
“these people have a better 
chance of getting well and yet are 


almost totally ignored” by cur¬ 
rent AIDS-related research. They 
hope that their study will point 
the way to a non-toxic, immune- 
inhancing therapy. Unlike the ex¬ 
perimental AIDS drugs now be¬ 
ing tested, Chinese medicine has 
few side effects. Statistical data 
gathered during the study may 
reveal patterns enabling further 
refinement of treatment with 
acupuncture and herbs, Sordean 
says. 

Project funding limits the 
number who can be treated dur¬ 
ing the study. However, par¬ 
ticipants can use self-funding or 
individual sponsorship to join 
the treatment group. Participants 
can pursue other types of treat¬ 


ment concurrently with study 
treatment. This non-profit study 
is funded by the People’s Life 
Fund and by matching grants. 

Sordean is a nationally cer¬ 
tified acupuncturist who has 
studied Oriental medicine in 
Asia, Europe and the USA. Black 
is a nurse who works with AIDS 
and disabled patients, and has a 
gay son who is at risk for AIDS. 
She practices Chinese medicine 
and is studying at the Institute 
for Traditional Medicine. 

For more information or to 
donate to the project, call Susan 
Black at 841-7019 or write the 
project at 2016 Tenth St., 
Berkeley, CA 94710. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 22 











On The Road 

Midwesterners Respond to AIDS 
Cyclists with Interest, Support 

by Jim Sutherland 

So. Bend, IN — When Cycle for Life left Philadelphia, our 
next goal was Cleveland. By airplane, it’s a short trip. By bicy¬ 
cle it’s not so short and northern Pennsylvania is verv moun¬ 
tainous. First, we had to cross the Poconos and then the 
Allegheny iVlts. 

The hardest part definitely was pedalling up those grades 
and the best part had to be the views of the small towns and 
neat farms in the lush green valleys. They were lush and green 
from the frequent rainstorms we got to share with the locals 
as we passed through. 

Our group once again divided In Cleveland, AIDS is not as 
along lines of riders who are large a problem as in New York 
faster and those who prefer a or San Francisco. One communi- 
more leisurely pace. Each eve- ty leader told me that gay people 
ning the two groups met at two in Cleveland needed more events 
different campgrounds. We were and publicity to increase their 
very lucky in Pennsylvania to awareness of the AIDS crisis, 
have found some beautiful and Because of the lower number of 
well maintained campgrounds, cases there, an attitude exists that 
some with pools for a welcome “it’s New York or San Fran- 
swim after a hot day, pedalling 65 cisco’s problem.” He said events 
or 75 miles. such as Cycle for Life helped 

It was in northern Pennsylva- focus the attention of Cleveland’s 
nia that we began to draw atten- g a y community on the fact that 
tion, since bicycle tourists are un- AIDS is everyone’s concern, 
common there. In several towns, After Cleveland, Cycle for Life 
the local newspaper, having headed for Chicago. Several cy- 
heard about ‘‘some bicyclists,” clists went to Detroit, because of 
came out to meet us. I wasn’t sure friends there. The rest of us con- 

how the small towns would re- 
ceive us once they learned of our I 
cause. 



NEW YORK 

tinued through Ohio to Toledo, 
then on into Indiana. 

Northern Indiana is aware of 
AIDS for a different reason. In a 
recent national news case, a 
young boy was denied entry into 
an Indiana school because he 
had contracted AIDS through a 
blood transfusion. We received 
several favorable write-ups in 
local newspapers. 

Quite by accident, as I was 
waiting out a thunderstorm in a 
gas station in rural southern 
Michigan, an ABC-TV news van 
came into the station and inter¬ 
viewed me for the South Bend, 
Indiana news. Once again the 
reporters were interested, aware, 


TO SAN F 

and asked insightful questions 
about Cycle for Life. 

One last impression that will 
stay with me for some time is 
bicycling through the Amish 
countryside of Indiana. It took 
some getting used to the graceful 
horse and buggies going by in¬ 
stead of cars. The farms were im¬ 
maculate, the food too good to 
describe, and the perseverance of 
the Amish in a society run by 
automobiles fascinated me. I felt 
a kinship to the people as we both 
sped along unaided by the com¬ 
bustion engine. 

On to Chicago. • 


R A N C I S C O 


Stereo Plus Benefit 

Stereo Plus has announced a 
special sales event to benefit the 
San Francisco AIDS Foundation. 
The benefit will be held Friday, 
June 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 
and Saturday, June 28, from 
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. During these 
two business days, Stereo Plus 
will donate 10 percent of its total 
sales to the AIDS Foundation. 

• 


Amazingly, people who inter¬ 
viewed and photographed us 
were very interested in what we 
were doing and very supportive. 
After a few initial interviews, we 
did not wait for the local press to 
meet us, but would head straight 
for the local newspaper as soon 
as we arrived in a town. The re¬ 
sponse was always the same. They 
were interested and they had 
questions. 

Some of the papers are proba¬ 
bly smaller than the Bay Area 
Reporter , but the interest, con¬ 
cern and generosity was as big as 
anv citv newspaper. That reallv 
surprised me. It didn’t stop in 
Pennsylvania; it continued 
throughout Ohio and into north¬ 
ern Indiana. People in the rural 
areas were much more aware than 
I expected. 

Eastern Ohio was.a welcome 
gift after Pennsylvania. It was flat 
and the bicycling became so 
much easier. On June 5, Peter 
Tannen of San Francisco and I 
reached Cleveland. Several other 
riders were already there. The 
rest arrived the next day. 

The gay community of Cleve¬ 
land was expecting us and had 
prepared numerous events. They 
also opened their homes to the 20 
of us, and their wallets for dona¬ 
tions and pledges. A barbecue 
was given at one home which 
gave us all a chance to meet in 
one place for a week and ex¬ 
change road stories. We also got 
to meet active people in the 
Cleveland commuity. 

Several events were planned at 
two popular bars. Legends, an ex¬ 
tremely large bar was packed for 
a raffle—first prize being a new 
(what else!) bicycle. A colorful 
drag show was put together by 
Cleveland’s most talented and 
lovely entertainers including 
Miss Gay Cleveland. 

At Isis, a women’s bar down¬ 
town, was another raffle and lots 
of dancing. Who would think 
you’d feel like dancing after be¬ 
ing on a bike for ten days—but it 
felt great! Cleveland turned out 
to be a great rest stop because 
our hosts were so attentive and 
hospitable. Several of us manag¬ 
ed to squeeze in visits to the 
famous West Side Market, built 
in 1912, and the Western Reserve 
Historical Museum. 


IS IT SAFE IQ HAVE 
UNSAFE SEX 
WITH YOUR LOVER? 


Many men have the mistaken 
idea that Unsafe Sex with a 
lover is safe, especially if the 
relationship is monogamous. 

That is rarely true. For most 
of us, there is no safe way to 
have Unsafe Sex during the 
AIDS epidemic. 

Nearly all of the publicity 
about AIDS has focused on 
avoiding Unsafe Sex with mul¬ 
tiple partners. That is because 
from an epidemiological point 
of view, Unsafe Sex with multi¬ 
ple partners spreads AIDS far 
more widely than Unsafe Sex 
with a single partner. 

Monogamous relationships 
do cut down on the spread of 
AIDS, but they don’t guarantee 
the safety of the men in the 
relationships. 

No one knows for certain just 
how much re-exposure to the 
virus is required for the disease 
to result. The body’s defenses 
may be able to resist some 
quantity of the virus, but at 
some point, if you continue to 
be exposed (even to viruses from 
the same person), your body’s 
defenses may be overcome. 


It is not safe to have Unsafe 
Sex with your lover (or anyone 
else), UNLESS: 

1. You have BOTH been in an 
EXCLUSIVELY monogamous 
relationship with each other 
for at least five years AND 
neither of you has shared TV 
needles, had transfusions, or 
used other blood products; OR 

2. You have both been tested for 
HTLV-3 antibodies twice over 
a six-month period and have 
both received negative test 
results and haven’t since 
been exposed. 

Hardly anyone qualifies! 

Caring about your partner 
these days means protecting 
one another from re-exposure 
to the virus. Ty new and safer 
ways of sexual expression. Use 
condoms if you have anal sex. 
Avoid Unsafe Sex. 

Take care of one another. Take 
care of the community. There 
is nothing you can do about 
the past. There is a great deal 
you can do about the future. 

If you would like more infor¬ 
mation or assistance, help is 
available. The STOP AIDS 


Project, 621-7177, offers one- 
evening discussion groups 
about the AIDS epidemic. The 
AIDS Health Project, 626-6637, 
provides eight-week support 
groups focused on issues of 
social support, health promo¬ 
tion, and AIDS. And of course, 
the Foundation’s AIDS HOT¬ 
LINE, 863-AIDS, can provide 
the latest information on AIDS- 
risk and AIDS-prevention, as 
well as other referrals. 



THE SAN FRANCISCO 
AIDS FOUNDATION 


333 Valencia St., 4th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94103 


415-863-AIDS 
Ibll Free in 
Northern California: 
800-FOR-AIDS 

TDD: 415-864-6606 


Major funding for the educational programs of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is provided by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 23 












J STEPHEN FORESEE DMD 
GENERAL DENTISTRY 


4128 18th STREET 
SAN FRANCISCO CA 94114 

Sat. & Monday evening appointments 


Authentic Thai food served in a 
relaxing & comfortable setting. 

THAI HOUSE 

RESTAURANT , 

Open for dinner seven days / 

a week served from 5 -1OPM g 


Reservations: 863-0374 
131 Noe St. at Henry 


v 


KUBLAI KHAN’S 
Mongolian Bar-B-Q 

(Introduced to China in 1211 A.D.) 

“ALL YOU CAN EAT” 

Panoramic upstairs view! 

1160 POLK ST. — S.F. 

AT SUTTER • 2nd FLOOR 

(415)885-1378 



PEOPLE 



AIDS ARC 



If you have AIDS/ARC call 
the People with AIDS/ARC 
Switchboard. We provide 
current, accurate information 
to people with AIDS/ARC, 
their lovers and families. 

We provide medical and 
mental health referrals. If you 
are confused or depressed, 
we offer support. 

The Switchboard is staffed 
by people with AIDS/ARC 
who care. 

Call Monday-Friday, 1:00- 
4:00 p.m. 


adK 

KXJNfWKXsX 


8617319 


The People with AIDS/ARC Switchboard is a joint project of the San 
Francisco AIDS Foundation and People with AIDS/ARC San Francisco 


Baptists Again 
Go AIDS-Bashing 

Renegade SF Baptist Pastor Rejects 
Denomination's Stand as Un-Christian 

by Allen White 

Last week in Atlanta, Georgia, newly elected president of 
the Southern Baptist Church, Adrian Rogers, again stated the 
denominational claim that AIDS is a punishment by God 
against homosexuals. Rogers said, “Scripture teaches us that 
all kinds of immorality have a built-in kickback. We reap the 
consequences.” 


Rev. Jim Lowder, pastor of 
Dolores Street Baptist Church, 
disagrees with Rogers’ state¬ 
ment. “There is a consequence 
to any action,” he said, “If you 
step into traffic you may get hit 
by a car, but that does not mean 
that it is a form of God’s punish- ‘ 
ment.” Lowder said Rogers’ re¬ 
marks and other similar remarks 
are “disguised homophobia.” He 
noted that the church has never 
condemned people who have 
contracted cancer or other dis¬ 
eases. 

Lowder’s congregation was 
ejected from the regional body of 
the Southern Baptist Church for 
its stand which welcomes les¬ 
bians and gay men into the con¬ 
gregation. Last week he propos¬ 
ed that a type of sanctuary move¬ 
ment be set up in the Southern 
Baptist Church. The concept 
arose as a result of the many let¬ 
ters he has received since con¬ 
troversy stirred early this year 
regarding his stand on gay mem¬ 
bers in his church. 


Many Baptist gay men and les¬ 
bians have written saying they 
felt “in exile” from their church 
and were “waiting for their time 
to come back.” 

“I know,” said Lowder, “that 
there are thousands out there 
who have these feelings.” 

Lowder said he believes the 
primary problem with the South¬ 
ern Baptist leadership is that 
they want everybody to “think, 
act and believe exactly as they 
do.” He said this position by the 
leaders is in contradiction to the 
founding principles of the Bap¬ 
tist church which includes the ac¬ 
ceptance of a diversity of view¬ 
points. 

He also said the Southern Bap¬ 
tist denomination is not as sup¬ 
portive of their new president as 
might be perceived. In fact, 46 
percent of those voting, voted 
against the election of Adrian 
Rogers. 

Lowder believes that many in 
the Baptist church are guided by 

Jf 



Rev. Jim Lowder 

(Photo: Rink) 


“fear, lack of understanding and 
a lack of education.” He said he 
knows that there are many in his 
denomination who are under¬ 
standing of gay issues. He added, 
“They can’t be open in the 
church and especially in leader¬ 
ship.” 

Another denomination which 
has begun to take a stand on 
AIDS is the Methodist Church. 
Last week the denomination 
passed a resolution at its conven¬ 
tion in Reno, Nevada, supporting 
compassion for people with 
AIDS. Also, the nationally 
distributed Methodist Reporter 
took a strong stand regarding 
AIDS. The position came in a 
lengthy statement by Rev. Earl 
Shelp and Rev. Ronald Sunder¬ 
land of the Institute of Religion 
in Houston, Texas. 

“Instead of responding to 
AIDS in an enobling manner,” 
Shelp and Sunderland state, “the 
response of Christian commun¬ 
ities has tended to be one of 
apathy. The church, if it is not to 
be found wanting in its message 
and mission, can be apathetic no 
longer.” 

The statement concludes, 
“For the church to ignore the 
needs that cluster around AIDS 
and the people it strikes, to fail 
to express itself in a redemptive 
manner and to abandon a group 
of people on whose behalf few 
have cried out for justice and 
compassion constitute not mere¬ 
ly a failure of nerve but also of 
discipleship.” 

Rev. Cecil Williams, Glide 
Memorial Methodist Church 
pastor, recently announced that 
his church will distribute con¬ 
doms. Williams said there was 
now a need for examination of 
“safe and caring relationships.” 
“The condom is a symbol of 
I male responsibility,” said Rev. 
Williams. The controversial deci¬ 
sion to distribute condoms at the 
church is an action aimed direct¬ 
ly at men, both gay and straight, 
who can spread AIDS and other 
sexually transmitted diseases. 

Condom distribution at Glide 
church is in line with a pattern 
that the church has developed to 
directly attack problems that ef¬ 
fect the communities it serves. 
Williams calls this and other ac¬ 
tivist actions, “breaking tradi¬ 
tion.” • 



2 Anti-Gay Youths 
Ordered to Pay 
For Assaults 

WASHINGTON—Two 
former high school students have 
been ordered to pay up to 
$28,000 in damages to a gay man 
for violence directed toward the 
latter three years ago. Matthew R 
Warring and Kevin M. Kinna- 
han, former students at St. 
John’s College High School will 
have to pay $20,000 in compen¬ 
satory damages and up to $4,000 
each in punitive damages to 
William Edgar Hassell. 

In 1983, Warring and Kinna- 
han befriended Hassell near a 
Washington gay bar, then forced 


him to strip and lie on the ground 
in a deserted park. After that, the 
two men brutally slashed and 
beat Hassell while calling him a 
“dirty faggot.” 

Warring and Kinnahan told 
the court that they entered Cy’s, 
a bar now defunct, knowing that 
it was patronized by gay people. 
They said they thought, however, 
that heterosexuals went there, 
too. Hassell said that Warring, 
then 18, began staring at him in 
a suggestive manner. Hassell said 
the youth winked at him, licked 
his lips and patted him on the 
buttocks, signs that the latter was 
sexually interested in him. When 
they got in Hassell’s pickup 
truck, Warring placed his leg 
over Hassell’s leg, a further sug¬ 
gestion that Warring was “cruis¬ 


ing” him. 

Later, Kinnahan and Warring 
physically damaged Hassell so 
much that—according to Has¬ 
sell’s attorney, Lyn Stout—his 
testicles grew to the size of 
grapefruits. 

Defense attorneys claimed that 
Hassell “debased” Warring and 
Kinnahan by making sexual ad¬ 
vances at them, Attorney Barry 
Stiller referred to Hassell as “a 
shark” stalking the “minnows.” 

Superior Court Judge William 
C. Gardner and his jury, howev¬ 
er, didn’t see it the same way. In 
addition to the $20,000, a jui 7 
rendered a verdict of $4,100 in 
punitive damages against Warr¬ 
ing and $4,300 against Kinna¬ 
han. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 24 


—The Washington Blade 





















Vexed by Rainbows 

Our Gay Flag of Many Colors 
May Possess Ancient Magical Powers 

by Paul Zomcheck 

What more do most of us know about the gay flag than how 
ceremonious, auspicious, and colorful it looks flying over our 
parades and street fairs, or how it symbolically waves over a 
number of San Francisco neighborhoods? 

Each friend who has come to visit me since I have lived in 
San Francisco has been curious about the multicolored ban¬ 
ners adorning the Castro. I remember riding down that street 
the first time and inquiring about them, too. Unfortunately, 
the answer I have always given or received is an unenthusiastic 
“Oh, it’s the gay flag.” 


The rainbow flag as a gay sym¬ 
bol has been around less than a 
decade, and is still evolving. But, 
rainbows on flags are not new; 
they have been used for hundreds 
of years by a variety of cultures. 

You may be asking yourself 
where one seeking information 
about flags and their history 
finds such information. Well, you 
might try perusing an encyclope¬ 
dia or other reference books at 
the library. But the best way to 
get information about flags, of 
course, is to contact a vex- 
illologist: one who studies flags 
and their history. 

Jim Ferrigan, manager of the 
Paramount Company’s Flag 
Store of Polk Street, is a vex- 
illologist and veritable walking 
encyclopedia on flags. His store 
is a bit disorganized: flags and 
paperwork are strewn every¬ 
where. But his knowledge of flags 
far surpasses any importance of 
organization in his business. 

Ferrigan is excited about 
learning just as much as possi¬ 
ble about vexilla—flags or ban¬ 
ners—and educating others 
about them. When I called to ar¬ 
range an interview with him, Fer¬ 
rigan was more than happy to re¬ 
veal his vast historical knowledge 
of rainbows on flags. 

As clever as we are, San Fran¬ 
cisco gays didn’t invent the rain¬ 
bow flag. “The history of rain¬ 
bows and flags goes back to vari¬ 
ous European flags as well as 
North American flag-like objects. 
Before the flag was brought to the 
New World by European explor¬ 
ers, the closest equivalent to the 
flag was one the Inca Indians had 
created with feathers they tied to¬ 
gether forming the different hues 
of the rainbow. The Inca flag to¬ 
day is still a rainbow flag, al¬ 
though not always made up of the 
primary hues of the rainbow. The 
Aztecs also used a rainbow flag to 
represent their highest deity, 
Quetzalcoatl 

Early American history tells us 
Thomas Paine suggested the 
rainbow flag be used on the high 
seas as a symbol of nonbelliger¬ 
ence in the maritime compact of 
1789. In 1907 the Pan-American 
Union used rainbow stripes on 
both sides of their flag as a sym¬ 
bol of union. 

The Buddhist flag is also 
based on a rainbow, since the 
rainbow is the aura a person ex¬ 
udes when he has become en¬ 
lightened. A rainbow appears on 
the Tibetan flag under the guise 
of a flaming jewel, as well. 

The Cooperative Movement in 
Guyana, a loose-knit organiza¬ 
tion that stresses cooperation 
among all peoples to help solve 
man’s problems, has used the 
rainbow flag since the early 
1900s to symbolize unity with 
diversity. The movement says 
that all people are necessary to 
create the rainbow. If any color is 
removed from it, the rainbow is 
destroyed. Likewise, if you 
remove any single group from the 
family of man you destroy the in¬ 
tegrity of that family, too. San 


Francisco’s gay rainbow flag is 
based somewhat on this princi¬ 
ple, too. 

“The use of rainbows by 
groups that are not part of the 
mainstream—rebels, or people 
looking for their freedoms or vic¬ 
tory over some type of oppres¬ 
sion—is quite common. So, the 
rainbow flag as a symbol of gay 
freedom is duly appropriate since 
it’s a unique symbol of unity, yet 
diversity, and a symbol of victory 
and hope,” says Ferrigan. 

Historically, Joan of Arc waved 
a white flag with God blessing a 
lily and two angels in front of a 
rainbow, which she said was a 



The Rainbow Flags 


(Photo: Rink) 


symbol of hope and victory. At 
her trial her prosecutors featured 
the flag and said she used it 
because it had magical powers. 
Joan claimed that her flag was 
forty times more powerful than 
her sword. 

German peasant revolting 
against corrupt princes in the 30 
Years War carried a rainbow flag, 
which today hangs in a German 
hospital. 

But how did the rainbow flag 
come to represent gay freedom in 
San Francisco? It was Artie 
Bressan, a gay activist, who 
planted a seed in 1978 that the 
community could use a symbol. 
A gay artist, Gilbert Baker, 
designed and sewed the flags 
himself that year. In 1979, the 
Paramount Flag Company start¬ 
ed producing them. The flags 
caught on and now embellish the 
facades of buildings throughout 
the city. 

However, Ferrigan says the gay 
flag is still evolving and may go 
through a metamorphosis before 
it becomes a standard symbol for 
homosexuals throughout the 
world. 

The first rainbow flag in San 
Francisco, actually, had eight 
stripes: pink, red, orange, yellow, 
green, blue, indigo, and violet, 
respectively. The eight colors 
represented the prismatic rain¬ 
bow. The official flag used by the 

(Continued on page 34) 


ANAL SEX 
AND ADS 


After four years of studying 
thousands of cases of AIDS, 
the evidence is becoming 
increasingly clear: anal sex 
is the number one cause of 
AIDS transmission in 
America. 

Several epidemiological 
studies conducted indepen¬ 
dently in several different 
cities, involving thousands 
of gay and bisexual men, 
have produced essentially 
the same finding—the prin¬ 
cipal difference between 
gay men who get AIDS, and 
gay men who don’t get 
AIDS, is the amount and 
kind of Unsafe anal sex 
they have engaged in. 

Unsafe anal sex includes 
anal intercourse without a 
condom, rimming, scat, 
fisting and fingering, and 
the sharing of dildoes and 
other insertive sex toys. 

So our message is very 
simple— if we as a com¬ 
munity are to survive this 
epidemic , unprotected anal 


UNSAFE SEX PRACTICES 

Anal Intercourse 
Without Condom 
Rimming 
Fisting 
Blood Contact 
Shajing Sex Toys or Needles 
Semen or Urine in Mouth 
Vaginal Intercourse 
without Condom 

< Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights 


sex has to cease to be a part 
of our gay male lifestyles 
until a medical solution for 
AIDS is available. The risks 
are just too great for both 
tops and bottoms. 

Condoms can help. They 
are capable of stopping 
the AIDS virus. Anal inter¬ 
course with a condom is 
still considered “possibly 
safe” because of the risk of 
condom breakage through 
misuse. (The major causes 
of condom breakage are air 
inside the condom, not 
enough lubrication, old or 


mistreated condoms, or the 
use of oil-based lubricants.) 

It takes practice to use 
condoms correctly. How¬ 
ever, condoms are readily 
available, inexpensive, and 
when used properly, are 
good protection. Learn to 
use them. If you insist on 
anal sex, insist on condoms. 

Let’s protect one another. 
Let's end Unsafe Sex in 
San Francisco until this epi¬ 
demic is over. 



THE SAN FRANCISCO 
AIDS FOUNDATION 
333 Valencia St. 4th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94103 
415-863-AIDS 
Toll free in 
Northern California: 

800-FOR-AIDS 
TTD: 415-864-6606 


Major funding for the educational programs of The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is provided by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 25 
















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Ed Meese doesn't get turned on by these films. (Photo: Rink) 

Researchers Debunk 
Meese Porn Report 

Federal Panel Slanted Evidence, Testimony 
To Link Pornography, Crime, Say Critics 

by George Mendenhall 

Exposure to most pornography “bears some causal relationship to the level of sexual violence, 
sexual coercion, or unwanted sexual aggression.” This is the most startling and controversial 
conclusion by United States Attorney General Edwin Meese’s Commission on Pornography 
whose report will be released in July. Pres. Ronald Reagan requested the study in 1984 to counter 
a 1970 pom commission report that concluded that there was no evidence linking pornography 
to anti-social behavior and called for Congress to take anti-pom laws off the books. 

The panel had difficulty defining what is pornographic and its conclusion was that almost 
anything—including a single nude person looking suggestive—was to be defined as obscene. 


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The final report will list 2,325 
“pornographic” magazines, 725 
books, and 2,370 film titles com¬ 
piled from 16 adult book stores 
with the help of law enforcement 
personnel. It explores, in detail, 
some of the content of these 
materials—making the report 
itself erotic. This includes a 
31-page transcript of a single 
book, Tying Up Rebecca, and 
detail as to its price and where it 
can be ordered. There is also ex¬ 
plicit sexual dialogue and photo¬ 
graphs plus detailed descriptions 
of scenes from adult movies. 

The detailed pornography list 
was necessary, according to a 
commission staff member, Dee 
Kuhn. She said law enforcement 
officers would be able to recog¬ 
nize what is obscene because of 
the pornography in the report. 
However, they probably will not 
be the only ones buying the 
report, a predictable best seller 
for government printing outlets 
in major cities. Minimum age re¬ 
quirements for reading will be 
determined later. 

Advance copies of the new re¬ 
port have been distributed early 
by the commission staff, possibly 
to counter a negative reaction 
from researchers. The report, 
leaked in advance of its July 
release date, makes sweeping 
demands for a national crackown 
on pornography and is the culmi¬ 
nation of hearings over a six- 
month period in six cities. It cost 
$500,000 to produce the report. 

The conclusion about a causal 
link is in direct conflict with a 
presidential commission’s report 
on pornography in 1970. That 
report said there wasn’t any dis¬ 
cernible relationship between 
viewing or reading pornography 
and criminal activity. That panel 
also concluded Congress should 
repeal all legislation prohibiting 
the sale of sexually explicit ma¬ 
terial to adults. Ordered by Pres. 
Nixon, the study was filed and 
never acted upon. 

RESEARCHERS REACT 

Surgeon General Everett Koop 
called a June 20 meeting with 20 
leading social scientists, in¬ 
cluding a half dozen of the prin¬ 
cipal researchers who testified 
for the commission. Some re¬ 
searchers understood that the 
results of this meeting would be 
incorporated into the commis¬ 
sion’s work. They now believe 
that the report was leaked early 
in order to avoid that happening. 

Ted Khron, an aide to Koop, 
has defied Meese. He says that 
after the Koop session the 
group’s conclusions should be 
made public. Khron urges, 
“We’ll issue a report even if our 
conclusions differ from the com¬ 
mission’s. It is a refreshing exam¬ 
ple of democracy in action.” 

The executive director for the 
commission, Allen Sears, re¬ 
sponds that “Science does not 
have the complete answer.” He 
explained that the staff, in form¬ 
ing its conclusion, is also relying 
on the testimony from law en¬ 
forcement officers, members of 
the clergy, and victims of por¬ 
nography. 

Barrie Lynn, legal counsel for 
the American Civil Liberties 
Union, attended the commis¬ 
sion’s six hearings. He states that 
the commission went far beyond 
a scientific analysis. Scores of 
anti-pornography witnessses 
were called. He explains that they 
were allowed to say anything 
without being questioned. The 
few people allowed to speak 
about the positive effects of por¬ 
nography were relegated to the 
end of sessions and were critical¬ 
ly questioned. Some of these wit¬ 
nesses were even asked about 
their personal sexual habits and 
affiliations. 

Lynn states that there was “an 


inordinate focus on aberrant sex¬ 
ual practices and criminal activi¬ 
ty designed to establish that 
sexually-explicit material leads to 
widespread ‘victimization’ of 
consumers.” The commission, he 
reports, so broadly defined “por¬ 
nography” that it included any 
description or depiction of sexual 
themes. Witnesses sometimes ap¬ 
peared behind screens to hide 
their identity, relating horror 
tales of how they had been abus¬ 
ed. When it was not clear wheth¬ 
er the abuse was related to pro- 
nography, some commission 
members tried to relate it for 
them. 

Researchers who protested the 
violence and pornography link 
included Edward Donnerstein, a 
University of Wisconsin psychol¬ 
ogist. He had concluded that 
when a group of male college 
students were extensively expos¬ 
ed to pornographic movies they 
developed a slightly more callous 
and demeaning toward women. 
Commission staffers drew the 
conclusion that such men were 
then prone to act out sexual 
violence. Donnerstein called the 
conclusion “bizarre.” 

Numerous other researchers 
protested, including Dr. Judith 
Becker. Although a commission¬ 
er herself, she said, “I have been 
working with sex offenders for 
ten years and have reviewed the 
scientific literature, and I don’t 
think a causal link exists between 
pornography and sex crimes.” 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

The Meese panel calls for new 
federal laws to require a man¬ 
datory one-year prison sentence 
for anyone convicted a second 
time on federal obscenity 
charges, to allow for prosecutors 
to seize money and other assets 
gained through violation of such 
laws, and permit judges to im¬ 
pose life-time probation for con¬ 
victed child pornographers. The 
panel also wants a labor law that 
would make it an unfair business 
practice for an employer to hire 
people to participate in commer¬ 
cial sex performances, and a law 
prohibiting the use of performers 
under age 21 in “certain sexual¬ 
ly explicit visual depictions.” 

The commission urges state 
and local officials to use laws 
against pandering (prostitution) 
to prosecute people involved in 
the distribution of obscene ma¬ 
terials. An early test case involv¬ 
ing such an arrest (for an adult 
film maker) is pending in the 
courts in Los Angeles. 

The panel also requests the 
Federal Communications Com¬ 
mission to use ts full regulatory 
powers against “obscene dial-a- 
porn telephone services.” These 
services are now widely used, 
often by gay men who have turn¬ 
ed to fantasy and masturbation 
because of the AIDS crisis. 

The presidential report in 
1970 could find no link between 
organized crime and the distri¬ 
bution of pornography but the 
new commission found that there 
was a relationship. The ACLU’s 
Lynn said the commission’s 
definition of “organized crime” 
was overly broad, allowing for an 
undocumented conclusion. 

It was evident that Meese knew 
he would get the conclusions that 
he sought. He had appointed the 
panelists. The majority were 
long-time anti-porn fighters, in¬ 
cluding a Virginia prosecutor, 
Henry Hudson, who served as 
chair. Staff members worked 
closely with law enforcement per¬ 
sonnel to form lists of witnesses 
and lists of porn magazines and 
video tapes. They wrote the final 
report with its conclusions after 
the commission had held its last 
meeting. 

The three women commission 
(Continued on page 28) 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 26 











Confidentiality Still Under 
Attack In Legislature 

Worst Bills Defeated, Withdrawn this Session; 

But Struggle Remains In Opposing Others 

by George Mendenhall 

The tide has turned in Sacramento as many of the negative AIDS-related bills that 
introduced have been improved, defeated, or dropped by their authors. The original 40 AIDS- 
related bills are now down to 24 and only five of those are being vigorously opposed by the full¬ 
time gay lobbyist in the capitol, Rand Martin. 

San Francisco Legislators have five pending bills that Martin is attempting to bring to being 
to the governor’s desk. 

Senator Milton Marks (D-S.F.) co-authored three bills with Sen. David Roberti (D-L.A.). One 
would require the state to survey the feasibility of using MediCal or state Disability to pay health 
insurance premiums for persons with ARC or AIDS (SB-1327). Another would establish AIDS 
and ARC as disabilities if federal funding for care is provided (SF-2454). This bill would also 
assure that information about an AIDS patient be given only to health agencies or medical 
researchers. 



were Sen. Milton Marks 


Assemblyman Art Agnos (D- 
S.F.) joins with Mike Roos (D- 
L.A.) to require that each county 
make information, counseling 
and referral services available 
(AB-3440) and with John Vascon- 
cellos to include hospice services 
under MediCal if no additional 
net program costs are incurred 
(AB-2449). 

Vasconcellos, the San Jose 
legislator who heads the 
Assembly Ways and Means Com¬ 
mittee, would encourage AIDS 
research by limiting the liability 
for manufacturers of a FDA- 
approved vaccine if a judge finds 
the vaccine to be dangerous 
(AB-4250). The bill would also set 
up a state fund to guarantee the 
purchase of a vaccine ($20 
million) and to subsidize clinical 
drug trials ($6 million). In 
AB-3137, Vasconcellos would 
authorize the Director of Correc¬ 
tions to provide housing, care 
and treatment for prisoners with 
AIDS or ARC. 

OPPOSE OR WATCH 

Lobbyist Martin believes that 
there are no AIDS bills in the 
Assembly that demand vigorous 
opposition but two that should be 
watched closely. AB-3393 re¬ 
quires county hospitals to pro¬ 
vide AIDS test to victims of rape 
or sexual assault and expands the 
legal term “great bodily injury” 
to include disease. AB-4015 
would require a state survey of 
practices in diagnosis and treat¬ 
ment of prisoners. 

Five Senate bills, Martin 
believes, should be opposed. Sen. 
John Doolittle has three of them. 
SB-1513 would require an AIDS 
antibody test of everyone sen¬ 
tenced to a state prison. SB-1542 
would allow a parent to designate 
his or her blood to be used only 
by that person’s child. SB-2447 
would add a three-year sentence 
to any prison sentence for sex 
crimes if one knew he/she had 
AIDS or tested positive on an 
HTLV test. 

Two additional Senate bills 
should also be opposed, he says. 
SB-1518 would require county 
health officers to notify emergen¬ 
cy medical technicians that he or 
she has provided service to a per¬ 
son with a reportable disease. 
SB-2449 requires an antibody 
test of a patient suspected of hav¬ 
ing AIDS if a health worker suf¬ 
fers a needle stick from the pa¬ 
tient. Nondiscrimination lan¬ 
guage is not included. 

MORE GOOD BILLS 

In addition to the bills offered 
by Bay Area legislators there are 
others that Martin believes would 
produce positive results. 

In the Assembly, three possible 
California cash awards totalling 
$4 million would be given for the l 


discovery of an AIDS vaccine if 
AB-2404 becomes law. Drugs ap¬ 
proved by the federal government 
for AIDS treatment would be 
available to MediCal patients 
(AB-3323). A minimum of four 
antibody test sites would be set 
up in Los Angeles (AB-3407). 

Doolittle’s original SB-1478 
would have required all marriage 
license aplicants to take the 
HTLV test, but it was amended so 


that it now only requires county 
clerks to provide AIDS informa¬ 
tion brochures. 

State Health Services would be 
required to define ARC and col¬ 
lect data on ARC cases and warn¬ 
ing signs would have to be posted 
wherever nitrites (poppers) are 
sold if SB-1928 becomes law. 
SB-2192 would require schools to 
provide the proper health educa¬ 
tion to school employees when a 


student is diagnosed with AIDS 
or ARC. An AIDS Istitute would 
be set up to coordinate AIDS pro¬ 
grams and education if SB-2245 
is adopted. SB-2484 would pro¬ 
vide that no legal action can 
result from persons involved in a 
real estate transaction if they fail 
to reveal that the occupant of the 
property has the AIDS virus. 
LOOKING BETTER 

“Things have turned around 
considerably in the last month,” 
Martin explains. “Some of the 
bad bills have been amended into 
less onerous language, others 
were dropped by authors or kill¬ 
ed in committee. We are in bet¬ 
ter shape than we were but we are 
a long way from home,” he says. 

“Some legislators have made 
up their minds on AIDS—such 
as Doolittle—but I am learning 


that we can make a major impact 
before the legislature adjourns 
on August 29. We need the fall 
months when the legislature is 
not in session to educate and 
prepare for next year,” he added. 

Martin assumed his post as in¬ 
terim lobbyist this month. He 
receives a modest salary from the 
new statewide Lobby for In¬ 
dividual Freedom and Equality 
(LIFE). The lobbyist would like to 
have his position become perma¬ 
nent and open a Sacramento of¬ 
fice. Currently, he is operating 
out of his residence near the 
Capitol. If adequate funds are ob¬ 
tained by LIFE this will become 
a reality. One-time gifts and 
monthly pledges are being 
sought. 

“There will be many more 
AIDS bills next year,” Martin ex¬ 
plains. “There will be some 
strong bills to weaken confiden¬ 
tiality and test disclosure law, and 
some of the worst bills defeated 
this year will be back in 1987. We 
will also have to fight the in¬ 
surance industry. It wants to use 
the HTLV test as a qualifying 
criteria as to whether to insure 
someone. If you are over 30, un¬ 
married, and have a stereotypic- 
ally ‘gay’ employment, they may 
try to test you because you are 
suspected of being gay. Life and 
medical insurance could be dif¬ 
ficult to obtain for some people, 
if the insurance companies have 
their way.” • 


A SPECIAL APPEAL 
ID GW 

MEN OF COLOR 


Some people have the mistaken 
notion that AIDS is mainly a 
“white man’s disease”—that 
People of Color aren’t much at 
risk for AIDS. 

The statistics prove other¬ 
wise. In the United States, 
roughly four out of every ten 
People with AIDS are non¬ 
white. Twenty-five percent of 
Americans with AIDS are Black. 
Nearly 15 percent are Hispanic. 

The AIDS virus does not 
discriminate on the basis of race, 
or age , or gender ; or sexual 
orientation. 

AIDS can strike anyone who 
engages in the activities that 
can spread AIDS-Unsafe Sex or 
the sharing of IV drug needles. 

In San Francisco, compared 
to the rest of the country, we’ve 
so far had relatively fewer cases 
of AIDS among Third World 
and People of Color. Let’s keep it 
that way. Here in San Francisco, 
Hispanics account for 5.5 per- 


UNSAFE SEX PRACTICES 

Anal Intercourse 
Without Condom 

Rimming 
Fisting 
Blood Contact 

Sharing Sex Ibys or Needles 
Semen or Urine in Mouth 

Vaginal Intercourse 
Without Condom 

< Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights 


cent of local AIDS cases. Blacks 
account for 5 percent. One per¬ 
cent of local PWAs are Asian. 
Let’s work together to see that 
no one else in San Francisco 
is infected with this virus. 
Tbgether, we can do it. 

The only way we have of 
limiting this epidemic is through 
prevention. 

If we as a community are 
going to survive this epidemic, 


all of us need to eliminate 
Unsafe Sex and needle-sharing 
from our gay male lifestyles 
until a cure or vaccine for AIDS 
is available. 

No one has ever died from the 
frustration of giving up a few 
Unsafe Sex practices. Far too 
many have died of AIDS. 

Tbgether, we can stop the spread 
of this disease. 



THE SAN FRANCISCO 
AIDS FOUNDATION 

333 Valencia St. 4th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94103 
415-863-AIDS 
Tbll free in 
Northern California: 
800-FOR-AIDS 

TDD: 415-864-6606 


Major funding for the educational programs of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is provided by the San FVancisco Department of Public Health. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 27 















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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 28 


Films 

(Continued from page 20) 
with Showtime Cable Network to 
porduce a television movie based 
on slain Sup. Harvey Milk’s life. 
“It should go into production 
sometime this year, or next,” said 
Epstein. 

Vito Russo, author and film 
historian and the creator of the 
documentary The Celluloid Clos¬ 
et, told the B.A.R., “Usually what 
I’d say is I’m happy to be here 
and it’d be true, but I’m even 
happier to be here because it’s 
the tenth anniversary. It’s also 
the first time I’ve been to the city 
since my lover died in March. To 
me, this is where he is. And in a 
way this is my home, my adoptive 
home.” 

Michael Lumpkin, director of 
the festival, looked debonair in a 


Porn 

(Continued from page 26) 
members signed the report but 
then publicly attacked the report. 
They charged there were false 
conclusions and chided the staff 
for deleting all materials which 
pointed to the positive effects of 
pornography. 

Two women issued a dissenting 
statement, claiming “No self- 
respecting investigator would ac¬ 
cept conclusions based on such 
a study. Efforts to tease the cur¬ 
rent data into proof of a causal 
link between pornography and 
sexual crimes simply cannot be 
accepted.” They agreed with the 


AIDS 

(Continued from page 2) 

Specifically, there has been a 
“substantial reduction” in the 
practice of anal sex without a 
condom, said Winkelstein. 

“Many men in San Francisco 
will not become infected with the 
AIDS virus because so many have 
reduced their number of sexual 
partners and practice of unsafe 
sex—particularly, unprotected 
receptive anal-genital contact,” 
Winkelstein said. 

“Such changes in sexual be¬ 
havior are vital because each 
repeated exposure to the virus in¬ 
creases a person’s chance of be¬ 
ing infected, Winkelstein said. 

The UC Berkeley study is the 
largest of its kind in the world. It 
involves 1,000 men—800 gay 
subjects and 200 straight men in 
a “control group.” The subjects 
were randomly recruited from 19 
census tracts in San Francisco 
which have had the heaviest con¬ 
centration of gay population. 

David Lyman, a gay doctor 
who heads the Gay Men’s Health 
Study, said, “The word had got¬ 
ten out: People have radically 
altered their sexual patterns and 
this has had a profound effect on 
the rate of AIDS infection.” 

The $3 million study, funded 
by the federal government, began 
in 1984. It follows in depth the 
sexual behaviors and medical 
histories of the 1,000 men. This 
includes periodic blood tests for 
antibodies to the AIDS virus. 

The goal is to identify who gets 
AIDS and why. The hope is to 
provide practical information on 
how to avoid AIDS infection. The 
study is also designed to discover 
how to avoid becoming ill from 
AIDS once a subject is infected. 
For this reason, researchers are 
focusing on co-factors which may 
play a key role in helping the 
AIDS infection develop into a 
full-blown case of AIDS. 

One aspect of the study is the 
assessment of risks for various 
sexual behaviors. A paper on this 
topic soon will be published in a 
national medical journal. 


white dinner jacket and white 
boutonniere. “I feel great,” said 
Lumpkin, “I can’t believe we’ve 
been around for ten years and 
we’re still here. I think it means 
we’ll be around for a long time. 
We have more films and better 
films. Years ago, we had to show 
what was there, now we have lots 
of films from which to choose.” 

Tall, blond Wieland Speck, 
German director of Westler — 
East of the Wall was able to at¬ 
tend the festival with a grant from 
the Goethe Institute in San Fran¬ 
cisco. “This is the fourth film 
I’ve made with gay characters,” 
said Wieland. “Sure, I’m a gay 
filmmaker. I made my first film 
in San Francisco, David, Mont¬ 
gomery and I in 1980. It was 
shown at the 1982 festival.” 

From a two-day showing of film 
shorts, the gay festival has grown 
to the current ten-day extravagan- 


ACLU that “many of the visuals, 
both print and video, shown dur¬ 
ing the hearings were skewed to 
the very violent and extremely 
degrading.” The women pleaded 
that the materials distorted what 
pornography is and thus the com¬ 
mission’s judgement. 

Playboy and Penthouse 
magazines and The American 
Booksellers Association have 
filed a federal suit against Meese 
and his commission, charging 
them with illegally attempting to 
suppress sexually explicit maga¬ 
zines. In May, the commission in¬ 
formed scores of retail outlets 
that they would be listed as 


Lyman said the study clearly 
indicates that anal sex without a 
condom is extremely dangerous. 
The receptive partner in unpro¬ 
tected anal intercourse has a 10 
percent chance of being infected 
with AIDS just from one ex¬ 
change. 

On the other hand, the study 
indicates that oral sex is not 
dangerous in terms of spreading 
the AIDS virus. “We have not 
been able to show that oral sex is 
at all likely to spread the virus,” 
Lyman said. “I don’t believe that 
oral sex is all that unsafe.” 

Oral sex should remain cate¬ 
gorized as “possibly unsafe,” 
however, Lyman said. That is 
because diseases can be spread 
through oral sex, which may be 
co-factors in developing AIDS. 
One such infection is cytomega¬ 
lovirus (CMV). 

For a person who is carrying 
the AIDS virus, a new exposure 
to CMV—caused by oral sex— 
may help to activate the latent 
AIDS virus, Lyman said. 

If partners in oral sex stop 
before ejaculation, almost all of 
that danger is eliminated. 

The massive study is debunk¬ 
ing some widely reported myths 
about AIDS. Most importantly, it 
indicates that AIDS infection is 
not so widespread as reported. 

Daily newspapers in San Fran¬ 
cisco continue to report that 
“more than two-thirds of gay 
men in San Francisco” are infect¬ 
ed with the AIDS virus. This 
finding, first announced in a ban¬ 
ner headline in the San Francisco 
Examiner in July 1984, was based 
on a much smaller study. 

That study was based on sub¬ 
jects recruited from the city VD 
clinic and included only gay men 
who had had hepatitis. For that 
reason, this suberouD was not a 
valid representation of infection 
among the total San Francisco 
gay populaiton. 

A second myth being debunk¬ 
ed by the study is that there is an 
underlying immune deficiency 
among gay men. Lyman said that 
the UC study, which includes 
straight male controls, shows 



Vito Russo 

(Photo: Rink) 


za of first-rate lesbian and gay 
feature films. The Castro Theatre 
movie palace has never seen bet¬ 
ter days than the annual open¬ 
ings of the Lesbian and Gay Film 
Festival. • 


distributors of pornography in 
the coming final report. 

Although many of the outlets 
only had Playboy, Penthouse, and 
Forum magazines—not legally 
considered pornographic—they 
reacted immediately. Thousands 
of retail outlets, fearful of being 
branded as “porno outlets” 
dropped the publications. Thrif¬ 
ty Drugs took magazines off the 
shelves in their 167 Northern 
California outlets. 7-Eleven 
eliminated them from the racks 
in 4,500 stores. The reaction was 
almost instant. In Ohio, close to 
4,000 stores removed adult maga¬ 
zines from stands. • 


“absolutely no difference in 
underlying immune system func¬ 
tions between the straights and 
the gay men who have not been 
infected with the AIDS virus.” 

A third myth being debunked 
is that AIDS can be casually or 
even not-so-casually spread. Not 
one of the 200 straight men con¬ 
trols has become infected with 
the AIDS virus—even though all 
the straight subjects live in the 
most heavily populated gay 
neighborhoods in San Francisco. 

Still, said Lyman, it will take 
time for valid data to chase away 
the scare stories. The doctor said 
he was appalled when he recent¬ 
ly visited an AIDS patient at 
UCLA Medical Center. There, 
people with AIDS are served 
meals on paper trays—and cafe¬ 
teria delivery personnal leave the 
trays at the door, rather than 
delivering it bedside, as they do 
for other patients. • 


Housing for Jocks 

Gay Games organizers have 
issued an urgent appeal for 
volunteers to house athletes this 
August. 

“Housing is desperately need¬ 
ed for 2,000 athletes from outside 
the Bay Area who will not be able 
to stay in hotels,” said housing 
director Susan Quillan. 

“It is an exciting way to help 
a gay person from another city. 
We get requests from athletes 
every day who state that they can¬ 
not attend the Games if there is 
no housing. Please do your part 
—open your hearts and your 
homes to athletes visiting San 
Francisco.” 

Most athletes will need hous¬ 
ing from Friday, Aug. 8 through 
Monday, Aug. 18. To volunteer, 
contact the Gay Games office at 
(415) 861-8282 or drop by at 526 
Castro Street. • 










































Class Society 

The Comstock Is The Place 
To Come Out In Elegance 

by Will Snyder 

John Schmidt knows what getting on the cover of People 
magazine can mean. And it isn’t being the subject of gossip- 
mongers in checkout lines at Safeways, either. 

When Schmidt was on the cover of People as an openly gay 
businessman, he said he came out of the closet. When this 
happened, he no longer felt completely comfortable going to 
the private clubs he frequented for a relaxing drink or a quiet 
game of cribbage. 

Thus, an idea was born. Schmidt admits he had reservations 
that a private club for gay men and lesbians could work. But 
now, the president of Atlas Savings and Loan Association is 
devoting up to 18 hours a day to the opening of the Comstock. 

The Comstock is a beautifully 
restored, 105-year-old Victorian 
located at 1409 Sutter St. The 
building contains three stories of 
some of the most elegant art 



John Schmidt (r.) and Joe Ellis in front of a 15th Century 
Flemish tapestry (Photo: Rink) 


work, furniture, and artifacts in 
San Francisco. Schmidt is proud 
of the design because the Com¬ 
stock was the last work of the late 
famed designer, Billy Gaylord, 
who died last year. 

“I remember this Flemish 
tapestry that Billy saw in New 
York,” Schmidt recalled. “He 
called me up and said, ‘We’ve got 
to have this. It goes back to the 
15th century.”’ 

That tapestry is in one of the 
front rooms of the Comstock, but 
it isn’t the only legacy of Billy 
Gaylord. He also purchased six 
living room chairs from a Mis¬ 
sion Street store, which matched 
the half dozen he gave to Mayor 
Dianne Feinstein before he died. 
Each room is filled with beautiful 
trim and appropriate paintings 
or prints. Much of the furniture 
is either American or British an¬ 
tique furniture. 

Gaylord, of course, never lived 
to see his work at the Comstock. 
But Schmidt said Gaylord had a 
special vision to make sure the 
mansion’s work was completed 
the way he would have wanted it 
to be finished. 

“When he knew he was going 
to die from leukemia,” Schmidt 
said of Gaylord, “he came to me 
with this big book with all the 
plans of his designs. I told him he 
was going to make it, to lick his 
disease, but he said, ‘You can 
never tell, John,’ And, he was 
right. 

“No, he not only gave that 
book to me,” Schmidt added, 
“but he also introduced me to 
Peter Hennessey, a great design¬ 
er in his own right, who con¬ 
tinued Billy’s work.” 

It is this devotion to class 
which Schmidt hopes will make 
the Comstock a posh place for 
gay and lesbian businesspeople. 
People who join what will soon be 
a private club (it’s open to the 
public for a limited amount of 
time) will certainly get their mon¬ 
ey’s worth. Not only will they 
have drawing rooms filed with 
beautiful paintings and antiques, 
but also a soon-to-be-completed 
gym, three bars, and five dining 
rooms. 


Marin Demos 

The gay and lesbian signifi¬ 
cant interest group of the Marin 
County Democratic Club will 
meet with Joanna Willmann, 
Democratic candidate for State 
Assembly, Thursday evening, 
June 26, in San Rafael. Please 
call 459-3943 for details. • 


This is the kind of private 
place Schmidt has always dream¬ 
ed of for gay men and lesbians. 
He used to be a member of the 
straight Commonwealth Club. He 
said being openly gay on the cov¬ 
er of People magazine made life 
at the Commonwealth just a tad 
difficult. 

It was almost as if rooms be¬ 
came silent at the Common¬ 
wealth when Schmidt entered. “I 
could sense that some of them 
felt like they couldn’t tell their 
fag jokes anymore.” 


At first, Schmidt wasn’t total¬ 
ly receptive to what later became 
the Comstock because friends of 
his such as Bill Ridenhauer and 
James Hughes were intersted in 
selling memberships in the form 
of timeshares. “When they 
decided that a club with private 
membership was the way to go, 
that’s when I got devoted to the 
concept.” 

Schmidt said the Victorian was 
leased from a realty company in 
October of 1984. Renovation 
began in April of the following 
year. Since then, Schmidt has 
been a workaholic, putting in 
long hours, looking over most of 


the details of what he pictures as 
the ideal posh relaxation place 
for gay men and lesbians. 

But he’s also quick to praise 
others who have devoted long 
hours to the Comstock. Hen¬ 
nessey, sound engineer Eric 
Pariser, and lighting engineer 
Lee Boyac were singled out by 
Schmidt. 

Schmidt said he could not yet 
announce what the fees for join¬ 
ing the Comstock will be, other 
than to say that there would be an 
initiation fee and a refundable 
security deposit. Inquiries 
should be sent to 1409 Sutter St., 
San Francisco, CA 94109. • 



AIDS ANTIBODY TESTING 

Free, Anonymous Test Program 
Continues in San Francisco 

New funding will extend the anonymous AIDS 
antibody testing program offered by the 
San Francisco Department of Public Health. 


Without revealing your name or 
identity, you can make an 
appointment to learn more about 
the test by telephoning 62 1 -4858. 
T-Th, 5-9 p.m.: F. 12-5p.m.;Sat 
8a.m.-5 p.m. MAKING AN 
APPOINTMENT DOES NOT COMMIT 
YOU TO TAKING THE TEST. After 
hearing a brief presentation at the 
test site you will have a chance to 
ask questions. You may then leave 
or stay to take the test. 


The AIDS antibody test detects 
the presence of antibodies to the 
AIDS virus by using a simple blood 
test. This is not a test for AIDS. 
The test does NOT show if you have 
AIDS or an AIDS Related Condition 
(ARC). nor can it tell if you will 
develop AIDS or ARC in the future. 
THE TEST DOES SHOW IF YOU 
HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE 
VIRUS WHICH CAN CAUSE AIDS. 


Although the test is available at 
other locations, your anonymity is 
guaranteed if you take the test at 
an Alternative Test Site. You will 
receive your test results at the San 
Francisco Alternative Test Sites 
without revealing your identity or 
losing your privacy. Post-test 
consulting and referrals are 
available. 


Your decision whether or not to 
take the test is a difficult one. The 
San Francisco AIDS Foundation is 
not recommending that you either 
take or not take the test. YOU MUST 
DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. We want 
to provide you with information that 
will help you make the decision that 
is right for you. 


If you want general information 
about AIDS or the AIDS antibody 
test, telephone the San Francisco 
AIDS Foundation HOTLINE 
(863-AIDS, 9-9 M-F, I 1-5 S-Su). 
If you want to make an 
appointment at an Alternative Test 
Site for education or testing, call 
621-4858 T-Th, 3-9 p.m.; F. 12-5 
p.m.; Sat, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 


SF 

AIDS' 

FOUNDATION' 



TDD: 621-5106 

Funding for this message provided by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 29 


















Out of the Ghetto 


Pat Norman Believes in Building 
Coalitions, Not Perpetuating Walls 


by Ray O'Loughlin 


It’s not a political movement, she says, but those who know Pat Norman’s campaign for San 
Francisco Supervisor say it sure feels like one. In her first foray into city electioneering in 1984, 
Norman surprised politicos by garnering 56,000 votes for her progressive, coalition-minded 
politics. Now she’s in the race again. And in it to win. 

What she offers is not a movement, she says, but a politics that “takes a look at the vision 
for tomorrow—what do we want to have in San Francisco?” 


Norman distinguishes her politics from the usual brand practiced in San Francisco, saying 
hers is “not connected to all the old boy networks, a politics not constantly maneuvering to over¬ 
whelm the people of San Francisco in order to promote the agendas of people from outside the 
city. We have to have concern for those who live and work here and intend to stay here.” 


Having grown up in New York 
City’s infamous Bedford-Stuyves- 
ant projects, Norman raised a 
family of four in various locales 
from Pennsylvania to Texas and 
California while she worked on a 
degree in psychology. At 46, she 
is twice a grandmother. 

For the last 14 years, Norman 
has been employed at San Fran¬ 
cisco’s Department of Public 
Health. She is currently coor¬ 
dinator of Gay and Lesbian 
Health Services for the depart¬ 
ment. 

“I believe we’re in the midst of 
a return to conservative politics 
in the U.S. as well as in this city,” 
says Norman. “It’s necessary to 
turn around that trend.” 

She adds that the trend is par¬ 
ticularly dangerous for sexual 


minorities. “It’s important at the 
local level here in San Francisco 
to keep a progressive agenda,” 
she told the Bay Area Reporter. 

“It’s time to say ‘enough.’ We 
want people who are concerned 
about our issues. We want people 
to deal with the problems we face 
with affordable housing, good 
transportation, expansion of 
human services,” says Norman. 

The biggest threat to San 
Francisco and its minority com¬ 
munities, according to Pat Nor¬ 
man, is Manhattanization—over¬ 
development of the city. She finds 
many gay people unconcerned 
about that. “Many people are not 
aware that they are so vulnerable 
to not being able to stay here. The 
housing crisis affects gay and les¬ 
bian people. Many have had to 


move out of the city because they 
can’t afford to live here even 
though they work here,” she says. 

Her concern, she says, is “to 
keep the kind of community we 
have here.” 

How does she propose to do 
that? 

“Nobody in any one position 
is going to fix it all,” says Nor¬ 
man. “It’ll take a coming 
together between communities 
with more communication be¬ 
tween all of us who have com¬ 
monalities.” 

That’s not happening, she 
says, even though the idea is paid 
lip-service respect. “People use 
each community to get one or 
two single issues passed but not 
to generate genuine concern. 
That has to change.” 



ACTOR BURT LANCASTER 
REMINDS YOU... 


“THINK BEFORE YOU ACT- 
DON 9 T GET AIDS!" 


'A I U) 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: DANIEL ADAMS PROIH ( El) BY: MICHAEI.|OHN HORNE GRAPHICS BY: CHRIS McALLIFEE 



Pat Norman 


(Photo: Rink) 


Her being elected to the Board 
of Supervisors is a step in that 
direction, says the candidate. “If 
more people who think that way 
were on the board, it’d be easier 
to get communities to under¬ 
stand what politics is.” The board 
can do “as much as the com¬ 
munity will allow it to do,” she 
says, especially in “setting up a 
way of communicating that is dif¬ 
ferent from how it is now.” 

She wants an issue-oriented 
campaign, says Norman, “so that 
people understand what is hap¬ 
pening here,” adding, “Many 
people look around and see how 
beautiful the city is and say ‘I’m 
here and it’s wonderful.’” 

Norman does not hesitate to 
say that the gay and lesbian com¬ 
munity should overcome its own 
sense of isolation and begin to 
reach out to other communities. 
“I support us beginning to look 
at how we might be more useful 
to each other,” says Norman. 
“There comes a point when we 
have to actually work toward 
some kind of a goal of inte¬ 
grating.” 

Her experience has been that 
non-gay progressive groups are 
now open to alliances with gays 
in which gay concerns become a 
part of the main agenda. 

“The only way we’re going to 
move this [gay] movement is with 
other people working with us. 
And that means we’ll have to 
work with them.” 

She fears the gay community 
undercutting itself by becoming 


a “single-issue community.” “I 
do believe the community still 
promotes itself as needing to be 
a single-issue community. Since 
we’re not single-issue human be¬ 
ings, it’s not possible for me to 
support such a thing.” 

She cites issues which the gay 
community shares with others, 
such as the problems of the 
homeless, especially youth, and 
military spending taking money 
away from health care and 
research for AIDS. 

“It comes down to the fact that 
we have real reasons to be involv¬ 
ed in lots of different communi¬ 
ty concerns,” says Norman. “It’s 
our right to do so and it helps 
other people understand that we 
are not ghettoized and limited.” 

A big part of the battle, accord¬ 
ing to Norman, is against the 
lingering enemy of internalized 
homophobia. 

“A lot of people are still unsure 
about whether or not people 
need to be out,” she says. 
“Everybody should be out; 
that’s tne only way we’re going to 
make change. We need to make 
a clear statement that we are 
everywhere and we are proud to 
be who we are.” 

As for the supervisorial elec¬ 
tion this November, Norman of¬ 
fered this advice to voters. “We 
have to take responsibility in 
voting in people who are helpful 
to this community and useful to 
all of us. Again, I’m pushing for 
a vision, for understanding 
greater needs that we are respon¬ 
sible for and participate in.” • 



Nassaney to Speak 
At Healing Service 


Louis Nassaney, student of 
Louise Hay and fourth runner-up 
in the Mr. Superman contest of 
Southern California, will tell his 
remarkable story of AIDS self- 
healing at the next Metaphysical 
Alliance AIDS Healing Service, 
Monday, June 20. The service 
will be held at the Metropolitan 
Community Church of San Fran¬ 
cisco, 150 Eureka Street, at 
6:30 p.m. 

This eighth in a series of 
monthly services will include 
music, meditation and readings 
from written works on healing 
with healing inspiration for all. • 


Louis Nassaney 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 30 




















David R. Lynch 



David Lynch, 41, died of AIDS on 
June 16. He grew up in Maplewood, 
NJ and Greenfield, IN. David earn¬ 
ed a Bachelor’s degree in Architec¬ 
ture from the University of Cincin¬ 
nati, and a Masters in Landscape Ar¬ 
chitecture from UC/Berkeley. David 
moved to San Francisco in 1971 from 
Boston where he worked for the 
Boston Redevelopment Authority. 

In San Fran¬ 
cisco, David pur¬ 
sued his lifelong 
love of architec¬ 
ture as an em¬ 
ployee of the 
City for 11 years. 
He worked for 
the Department 
of City Plan- 
_ning, the Rec¬ 
reation 


private clients. David cared deeply 
about the City and influenced its 
design in his position as a planning 
coordinator for the City Planning 
Department. According to planners 
in the department, his work was 
basically the redesign of projects, 
working with developers, architects, 
and the neighborhoods, to make pro¬ 
jects fit into the fabric of City ar¬ 
chitecture. He also designed parks 
while with the Parks Department. 

David loved the High Sierra and 
nude beaches. He was an avid runner, 
and bicyclist. He was a member of the 
San Francisco Hiking Club, Front- 
Runners, and the California Native 
Plant Society, among other organiza¬ 
tions. David was spiritual, magical, 
impish, and a nonconformist—a free 
spirit. He loved San Francisco and 
found here a group of wonderful and 
caring friends. We will all miss him. 
Memorials may be given in his name 
to: the Sempervirens Fund, Drawer 
BE, Los Altos, CA 94023 or The 
Open Hand, Trinity Episcopal 
Church, 1668 Bush St., San Fran¬ 
cisco 94109. A memorial gathering 
will be held in a City park on July 13. 


Tommy Amato 

Tommy Amato died in San Fran¬ 
cisco on June 6. He was a native of 
New York, age 39, He lived in Califor¬ 
nia since 1979. He is the dearly belov¬ 


ed son of Ann and Sal (Toto) and 
brother Lenny Amato, all of New 
York. 

A Mass of Christian Burial was 
held Friday, June 20, 1986 at St. 
Aloysius Church in Ridgewood, 
Queens. 

Friends are invited to attend a 
memorial service on June 30,1986 at 
7 p.m. at Most Holy Redeemer 
Church, corner of Diamond Street 
and 18th Street in San Francisco. 

Larry W. Swartz 

Larry Wayne Swartz died in San 
Francisco on June 9. He was a 
respected and beloved friend to 
many. He is survived by his Mother, 
Marjorie and 
many loving 
relatives in Bat¬ 
tle Creek, MI. 
where burial ser¬ 
vices were held. 
He will always 
be remembered, 
especially by his 
lover, Michael 
Bradshaw. 

Memorial services will be held at 
Most Holy Redeemer Church, 100 Dia¬ 
mond St., San Francisco, on Saturday, 
July 12, 1986 at 1 p.m. 

Please make memorials to the S.F. 
AIDS Foundation, 333 Valencia St., 
S.F., 94103 or Shanti Project 890 Hayes 
St., San Francisco 94117. 



Maurice Soucy 

Like a crocus blossoms from beneath 
the precipitate snow, in its fruitful 
time. 

Our beloved friend entered the 
Blooming Garden of Glory on 
June 17 following a courageous 
confrontation with PCP 

Maurice was victorious in his con¬ 
quest of Eternal Life over disease. 

We celebrate his victory and are 
given courage by his stamina and 
sense of humor . .. 

Until we meet again in unification: 
Pattrick, Terry, Mitch, the Lynn 
Family together with all Maurice’s 
friends and acquaintances . . 

Amen. 

Any donations to the S.F. AIDS 

Food Bank would be appreciated. In 


lieu of traditional ceremony a 
Celebration of Life gathering will be 
held on Gay Day, June 29 at 3 p.m. 
at the Polk Gulch Saloon. 


Rickey Clem 


Rick Clem passed away peaceful¬ 
ly in his sleep on June 12 in Dallas. 
He was 34. We lost our dear friend 
to AIDS-related leukemia. 

Rick was born 
in Atlanta on 
Sept. 14, 1952. 
He grew up in 
Seagoville, Tx. 
After being sta¬ 
tioned at Scho- 
j field Barracks 
I with the Army 
j Corps of Engi- 
‘ neers in Hawaii 
for several years, Rick made his home 
in San Francisco. Here, he lived on 18th 
Street. 



He is best remembered walking his 
little chihuahua, “Brandy,” down 
Castro Street. 


Rick was a bartender at the 527 Club 
and later at the Presidio Officers Club. 
Later, he moved back to Seagoville 
where he worked for the Dallas School 
District. 


Rickey is survived by his loving 
mother and father, Thelma and 
Harold, and a large family of friends. 

For information. Call Rick 
Riendeau at 648-4480. All memorial 
donations should be sent to the Cancer 
Society. • 


Ricky Caimi 

Ricky Caimi, previous resident of 
San Francisco, died in his home in 
San Diego on June 18 of AIDS. 
Memorial services will be held at 
Metropolitan Community Church in 
San Diego on June 28 at 4 p.m. 

Memorial donations may be made 
to Veterans Administration Volunteer 
Services ARV Fund, 3350 Lajolla 
Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161. 

Any old friends of Ricky’s are in¬ 
vited to call me, Glenn Jordan, for 
further information at 495-8877 
(daytime) or 552-1134 (evenings). 


KQED 

(Continued from page 7) 
ing.” 

At the end of the session, 
Tiano made two statements 
which left many of those present 
wondering what had been ac¬ 
complished by the Advisory Pan¬ 
el forum. “I have not made the 
decision to take the Christian 
Science Monitor off the air,” said 
the president of KQED. “I feel 
it’s more important to leave it on 
the air. I don’t know what else to 
say about it.” 


And on the Fabian Bridges 
fiasco, Tiano said, “I’d still 
broadcast Fabian Bridges de¬ 
spite the community reaction, 
and despite the reaction around 
the country.” 

Ralph Payne, vice president of 
the Stonewall Democratic Club 
said afterwards, “The Communi¬ 
ty Advisory Panel was a joke. Out 
of the forty people there, three 
were from the panel. The entire 
exercise was a charade. It’s clear 
that the station is controlled by 
one person and while he is polite, 
he’s intransigent. He is ignoring 
virtually every one of the points 
we have raised over the past 


months. He is wasting the com¬ 
munity’s time in pointless 
meetings.” 

Many times, said Payne, the 
point had been made to Tiano 
how injurious the Fabian Bridges 
show was to the gay community. 
“Each time he has said that if he 
had it to do over gain he would do 
the same thing. He would show it. 
It’s clear to me, therefore, that 
Tony Tiano should be removed as 
general manager of KQED and 
replaced with someone who is 
sensitive to the needs of the com¬ 
munity he claims to be serving,” 
said Payne. • 

C. Linebarger 


Swing Helps The 
Parsonage Celebrate 

by Allen White 

The Parsonage, the outreach of the Episcopal Church to the 
gay community, celebrated its fifth anniversary last week with 
a Mass at Grace Cathedral. Bishop William Swing presided 
at the event which included the commissioning of parsons. 
Tom Tull, past Parsonage co-chair who is now in Geneva, 
Switzerland representing the organization at an AIDS con¬ 
ference, also spoke. 


At the Grace Cathedral Serv¬ 
ice, Swing commissioned 12 par¬ 
sons to serve at the Parsonage. 
The first commissioning was held 
October 26, 1981. 

At that time, the bishop’s ac¬ 
tion was viewed as highly con¬ 
troversial. The service represents 
the acknowledgement of gay men 
and lesbians and makes them a 


working part of the church. Since 
then, several hundred peole have 
participated in the commission¬ 
ing services. 

Swing said when the Parson¬ 
age opened in 1981, no one was 
aware of the impending AIDS 
crisis. He credited the Parsonage 
for helping the national Episco¬ 
pal Church to act swiftly about 


AIDS. 

In 1985, the church directed 
local Episcopal churches to work 
on many areas of education, ho¬ 
mophobia, and fear surrounding 
the disease. Earlier this year, the 
Parsonage acted as the host for 
a national conference on AIDS 
for the Episcopal Church. 

Tull, who has performed many 
duties for the Parsonage, left last 
week to attend a World Council 
of Churches conference on AIDS. 
The conference will set the agen¬ 
da for a larger conference to be 
held in the next year. He will be 
joined by representatives from 
Holland, the West Indies, Trini¬ 
dad, England, Switzerland, and 
many African Countries. 

At 10 a.m. next Sunday, the 
parsonage will join Integrity, the 
gay Episcopal group, for a Parade 
Eucharist at the parade forma¬ 
tion site at Spear and Folsom 
Streets. • 


Funerals, Cremations, Free Pre-Arrangement 
Proudly Serving The Gay/Lesbian Community 

TOM SIMPSON FUNERAL COUNSELOR 
626-3340 

Call For A Free Brochure! 

Contracting through Comiskey-Roche Funeral Home _ 


MEN’S SUPPORT GROUP 

Bisexual/Gay Married Men's Group 
MONDAY NIGHTS 

HTLVresults/Related Health Issues Group 
THURSDAY NIGHTS 

Alan M. Rockway, Ph.D. 821-6774 


PAUL A. WALKER, Ph D. 

PSYCHOLOGIST 


1952 l MON STREET 
SAN FRANCISCO. CALIFORNIA 94i23 

(415) 567-0162 LICENSE PI 6638 


James L White, D.P.S. 

General Dentistry 

Experienced in All Phases of Dentistry 
Insurance, VISA, MasterCard Welcome 
Personal Attention Given To Your Care 

490 Post St., Suite 1428 
San Francisco, CA 94102 
Member C-SBA (415) 397-1004 


WESTERN PSYCHOTHERAPY ASSOCIATES 



MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SERVING THE GAY COMMUNITY 


PERSONAL ISSUES, SEXUAL & RELATIONSHIP DIFFICULTIES 
SLIDING SCALE, INSURANCE & MEDI CAL WELCOMED 
CALL 552-2974 OR 621-2770 FOR INITIAL APPOINTMENT 


/WANT MORE OUT OF LIFE?N 

If you re ready to actively change your life we have open¬ 
ings in a small, ongoing. Gay men s psychotherapy group 
designed for you. Members develop a supportive atmos¬ 
phere within which we challenge our own and others' self- 
limiting fears, attitudes and behaviors. Meetings are Thurs¬ 
day evenings, 7:30-10PM. 

Rediscover your joy and creativity as you learn how to 
transform your sufferings into insight and opportunity for 
greater fulfillment. Call for an interview now. Insurance 
accepted. 

Pedro Rojas, MA Dave Cooperberg, MA 


Facilitating Bag Area Gag men s groups 
for over eight gears. 


PASTA II 

A VARIETY OF ITALIAN NOODLE DISHES 


LUNCH: Mon-Fri, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm 
DINNER: Mon-Thurs. 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm 
(Fridays and Saturdays. 6:00pm to 11:00 pm) 
Closed Sundays 

Dinners from $4.00- $7.50 

Our Pasta is Made Fresh Daily 

864-4116 

381 South Van Ness 

At 15th Street 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 31 









































G 


REATER BAY NEW 


s 


Reaching for the Stars 

Ministry of Light Illuminates Marin County 

by Steve Warren 

Okay, let's get the Marin jokes out of the way first. God is no more mellow in the North Bay 
than anywhere else, they don't hold church in a hot tub, and no one has ever refused commu¬ 
nion because of being a wine snob. 

The executive director of Marin County’s Ministry of Light, Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, is one 
of those people who can light up a room by entering it—and when she smiles, you need 
sunglasses to shield your soul as well as your eyes. 

Janie—as she is known to everyone who encounters her—was ordained by the Presbyterian 
Church in 1976. In 1980 she resigned from her position with the Council of Oakland Presbyterian 
Churches out of fear that the council would dissolve if she didn’t, so hard had they been hit 
by the news that she was a lesbian. 

After a few months of “questioning the call I'd felt from the age of 14'— a natural reaction 
in such cases, Spahr was invited to preach at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Fran¬ 
cisco. So instantaneous was the rapport that the church offered her an associate pastorship the 
next day. She started the job in July 1980 and stayed until late 1982. 

she chosen to stay, would have Three Marin County churches 
been limitless and relatively ef- —St Andrew Presbyterian in 
fortless. “Whenever I start feel- Marin City, Christ Presbyterian 
ing too comfortable somewhere,” in Terra Linda, and Sausalito 
she says, “I know it’s time to 


“In those two and a half years 
I felt my spirituality and sexuali¬ 
ty coming together,” Spahr says. 
It was a time of healing and per¬ 
sonal growth, of ministering and 
being ministered to, of locking 
the closet door and throwing 
away the key. “I learned to 
preach from my guts and pray 
that way too.” 

Yet she never severed her ties 
with the Presbyterians, feeling “a 
need to minister to the mainline 
denomination. I’m thinking of so 
many people who are so gifted 
who have left the church, and it’s 
a damn, damn shame” 

Spahr’s future with MCC, had 


Finally a Presbyterian group 
made her an offer she couldn’t 
refuse. A steering committee had 
formed in 1981 with members of 
several Presbyterian churches 
who felt the need for “a non- 
judgemental ministry with les¬ 
bian and gay people, their fam¬ 
ilies and friends as well as educa¬ 
tion and dialogue with the com¬ 
munity.” In 1982 they obtained a 
$15,000 grant to develop such a 
ministry. 


Presbyterian—founded the Min¬ 
istry of Light (MOL) in conjunc¬ 
tion with Presbyterians for Les¬ 
bian/Gay Concerns, Pacific 
Region. They hired Rev. Jane 
Spahr as their executive director. 

As Janie explains it, MOL is 
“an outreach ministry, not a 
church,” serving a dual purpose: 
“to be with the gay and lesbian 
community and to educate 
churches and synagogues.” 

MOL provides counseling and 
helps establish support groups 
for gay men and lesbians and 


The 

Woods 

Hexa g orrHouse 

Kussian River, Ca 


Happy Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day 

Coming 4th of July Weekend 

J uly 4th — Sharon McNight 

IN THE HEXAGON HOUSE 
9PM - ONE SHOW ONLY 
DANCING FOLLIES 

I uly 5 th — Debora I gall 

IN THE HEXAGON HOUSE - 12:30AM SHOW 

Former lead singer for Romeo Void, her hits include: 

"Never Say Never”. " A Girl in Trouble Is A Temporary 
Thing”, and "Strange Language” 

July 6th — Tea Dance & Barbegue 

"A TRADITION AT THE RIVER" 


16881 Armstrong Woods Rd., Guerneville, CA 95446 
Reservations/Information (707) 869-0111/869-0060 



Rev. Jane Spahr 

(Photo: S. Warren) 

their families. In effect they serve 
as a clearing house for organiza¬ 
tions serving our community in 
Marin County, referring people 
to existing groups or forming new 
ones when the need is great 
enough. 

For instance, a women’s sup¬ 
port group meets twice a month. 
Not all the members are lesbian, 
nor are they all Christian. “If we 
celebrate Christmas and Ad¬ 
vent,” Janie says, “we celebrate 
the Winter Solstice as well.” 

There are also groups of les¬ 
bian and gay parents, lesbian and 
gay youth, youths whose parents 
are lesbian or gay, and parents 
and friends of lesbians and gays. 
The last is now affiliated with the 
national PFLAG organization. 

“When AIDS came along,” 
Spahr says, “that became our 
first priority.” It was through 
MOL that the Marin AIDS Sup¬ 
port Network was formed. “We 
keep the pulse of the needs of the 
gay and lesbian community.” 


Representatives of all existing 
gay-related groups in the county 
meet for lunch once a month to 
facilitate communication. “We 
have created a lot of networking 
in Marin” 

Religion is not shoved down 
anyone’s throat by Ministry of 
Light, but much of the counsel¬ 
ing takes place in a church 
because the MOL office is in 
Westminister Presbyterian in 
Tiburon. “It shows them the 
church really cares,” Janie says. 
“The people who come in may 
r never go to church again, but 
their spitrituality is beautiful, 
whatever it is.” If someone feels 
uncomfortable about entering a 
church they can meet outside in 
a bayview setting. 

At the other extreme, if the 
counselee is looking for a church 
to attend as an open gay man or 
lesbian, Spahr refers them to 
MCC or one of the five or six sup¬ 
portive, accepting mainstream 
churches. 

Besides showing that the 
church cares, Janie holds 
meetings and counseling ses¬ 
sions on church property “to 
make the church realize we’re 
here, helping them fulfill the 
educational aspect of MOL’s mis¬ 
sion. 

Because Marin gays tend to be 
more closeted than those in the 
city, maintaining visibility is an 
ongoing problem. “More of us 
have to feel comfortable and 
come out,” Spahr says, “and 
that’s just beginning to happen 
here.” 

Beginnings are what Ministry 
of Light is about, and Janie feels 
they’ve only scratched the sur¬ 
face in four years. “There’s so 
much more to do,” she says. “I 
feel we’re just beginning to be 
there in a bigger way.” 

You can write to Ministry of 
Light at 240 Tiburon Blvd., 
Tiburon, CA 94920, or call 
381-4196. • 


Study Finds 
Physicians Biased 


A recent study published in the January, 1986 issue of 
The Western Journal of Medicine shows significant 
negative attitudes among physicians toward homosex¬ 
uality. 

A research team consisting of faculty from three San 
Diego colleges and universities conducted the study us¬ 
ing questionnaires distributed to the entire membership 
of the San Diego County Medical Society. The question¬ 
naire, separating respondents by the area of medical 
specialty, asked how physicians felt toward gay applicants 
to medical school, homosexuals seeking residency train¬ 
ing, referrals to gay physicians, and treatment of gay 
patients. 


When asked if a “highly qual¬ 
ified homosexual applicant” 
should be admitted to medical 
school, 29.7 percent of the physi¬ 
cians responded negatively. Dif¬ 
ferences among areas of special¬ 
ty on this item were significant. 
Forty-nine percent of orthopedic 
surgeons were opposed, while 
only 9.2 percent of psychiatrists 
were opposed. 

In answer to another survey 
question, gay physicians would 
find the most opposition if they 
sought residency training in 
pediatrics (45 percent) or psychi¬ 
atry (39 percent). It is interest¬ 
ing to note, however, that pedia¬ 
tricians and psychiatrists them¬ 


selves did not share this negative 
view of homosexuals entering 
their own fields of specialty. 
Only 1.6 percent of psychiatrists 
would discourage residency in 
their own field. 

Referrals to openly gay physi¬ 
cians would be discontinued by 
substantial numbers of respon¬ 
ding physicians. According to 
the study, more than 40 percent 
would discontinue referrals to 
homosexual pediatricians and 
psychiatrists, a quarter to 
general surgeons, and nearly a 
fifth to radiation therapists. The 
smallest loss of referrals would 
be from psychiatrists, pediatri¬ 
cians, and internists. ■ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 32 



















East Bay Assistance Fund Reorganized 


COUNTENANCE COM¬ 
MUNIQUE (An Up-Dating 
Nose?) 

In 1983-84, a series of auctions 
presented by Ed Paulson and Lit¬ 
tle Mother at various gay bars in 
Hayward and Oakland raised a 
considerable amount of funds. 
The purpose of the fundraising 
was to assist those people with 
AIDS residing in the Hayward/ 
Oakland area who were in need of 
emergency financial assistance. 

An original committee to over¬ 
see the allocation of these funds 
was established with four people 
from Hayward and two people 
from Oakland. A seventh person 
attended the monthly meetings, 
a representative from Pacific 
Center in Berkeley, strictly as a 
presenter of applications from 
people with AIDS who needed 
asistance. At this time it was 
decided to name this committee 
the East Bay AIDS Fund, and it 
functioned under this name for 
over nearly year. 

Becaus of problems of housing 
and “umbrella-ing” the large 
sum of money —a dilemma much 
too lengthy to pursue here—the 
entire amount was placed within 
the account of the San Francisco 
Tavern Guild Foundation. A 
$5,000 deposit was made to the 
Godfather Fund so that alloca¬ 
tion of funds could be expedited. 
Timing and communication dif¬ 
ficulties made this effort less 
than satisfactory, but at that time 
there was no alternative. 

Internal differences within the 


committee as to just what should 
be done with the remaining 
funds resulted in the resignation 
of two of the original comittee 
members from Hayward. Person¬ 
al problems from another com¬ 
mittee member demanded his 
resignation. The remaining cabi¬ 
net felt it necessary to continue 
with the original strategies as ex¬ 
pressed by the two who were 
responsible for the auctions. 

A new committee was formed, 
consisting of an MCC pastor, a 
teacher, a businessman, a lawyer, 
a medical representative from 
Fairmont Hospital, and a person 
with AIDS. That council thought 
it best to alter the committee’s 
name to the East Bay Assistance 
Fund, since that was its function 
—assisting. A by-laws packet was 
initiated and all necessary paper 
work for becoming a tax-free en¬ 
tity was prepared and delivered to 
Sacramento. Arrangements were 
made to transfer all remaining 
monies from the SFTGF God¬ 
father Fund to the committee’s 
own checking/savings account at 
an established savings and loan 
in Oakland. 

After several months of negoti¬ 
ating, the foregoing was suc¬ 
cessfully accomplished. The East 
Bay Assistance Fund wishes to 
take this public opportunity to 
thank the SFTGF Godfather 
Fund, Jim Bonko, Paul Seidler, 
and all the others who made it 
possible for EBAF to become 
established. Without their help, 
none of the committee’s assist¬ 
ance would have been possible. 


Since its original conception, 
the committee has answered 51 
requests for assistance (rent, 
food, utilities, funeral expenses, 
insurance premiums, etc.), all 
from people with AIDS in the 
Hayward/Oakland/San Leandro/ 
Castro Valley area. All cases are 
verified with a doctor’s state¬ 
ment, and no monies are paid 
directly to the one requesting 
assistance. Granted requests are 
paid directly to landlords, utility 
companies, insurance com¬ 
panies, grocery stores, etc. 

These requests total in excess 
of $13,092.85. In addition, two 
large and extremely important 
expenditures were 1) $2,100 for 
telephone services to Fairmont 
Hospital AIDS ward, and 2) 
$3,172.31 for televisions in the 
Fairmont Hospital AIDS ward. 

Since its forming, the EBAF 
committee reluctantly found it 
necessary to turn down only three 
requests, simply because they did 
not fit the criteria under which 
the committee functions. 

Everyone who participated in 
the auctions and made generous 
donations must be justifiably 
proud that the monies are being 
used for the purpose for which 
they were raised. The East Bay 
Assistance Fund wishes to thank 
all who made it possible to do the 
deeds that have been accom¬ 
plished—and need to be ac¬ 
complished. y 

East Bay Assistance Fund 
holds its meetings on the third 
Monday of each month, at 7 p.m. 
in the Board Room of Fairmont 


Hospital in San Leandro. The 
meetings are open, and in¬ 
terested persons are cordially in¬ 
vited to atend. It must be noted, 
however, that all requests for 
funds remain confidential. 

KIPA HOU MAI! (A "Mai 
Hi/ahi/ai" Nose?) 

I can’t exctly put my finger on 
why, but when I saw Revol’s Luau 
docorations I immediately 
thought of the Boom Boom 
Room in Laguna Beach. Perhaps 
it was the fish nets and straw 
mats, but I really don’t know. 

The festivities last Sunday, 
June 22, started with a “Polyne¬ 
sian” brunch special of ham and 
pineapple omelet, while the bar 
was churning out such favorites 
as Chi Chis, Pina Coladas, Mai 
Tais, Blue Mahus, Seabreezes, 
etc. A “tropical” feeling was sus¬ 
tained throughout the afternoon 
and evening with the ever-present 
aloha shirts, shorts, and muu 
muus. At selected intervals, raffle 
tickets were passed out 
(manawahi!); and, believe me, 
Revol spared no expenses on the 
prizes. As a matter of fact there 
were no expenses for the prizes! 
Some were old; some, new; some 
borrowed, some blue; some per¬ 
haps even five-finger discounted! 

OMNIUM-GATHERUM 
(A Medley Nose) 

Something for everyone, if you 
will, coming up on the three-day 
Fourth of July weekend. (Listed 
in order as they were made known 
to me.) 

The Town & Country cele¬ 
brates its big third anniversary all 
three days: Friday, Saturday, and 
Sunday, July 4, 5, 6. It wouldn’t 
surprise me if the T&C Dollies 
made an appearance at least a 
couple of those days! I suspect 
that there will be some fabulous 
raffle prizes, too. Check with the 
T&C for further details. 


Maranatha MCC, 22577 Bay- 
view, Hayward, celebrates its fifth 
anniversary on the Fourth. Rev. 
Jodi Safier, pastor, invites all to 
join together in this divine and 
spiritual sanctification. Call 
881-5649 for all the details. 

The Spoiled Brat goes non¬ 
stop ’round the clock over the 
three-day weekend, with disco all 
night(s) long. Plan on a swim/ 
tan/dance/sleep/party special. 
Three days and three nights at 
the Hayward Travel Lodge for 
swim and pool parties, with the 
Brat operating a full bar and the 
Lodge for your tanning enjoy¬ 
ment all day; then disco all night 
at the Brat. The $50 total (per 
person, double occupancy) in¬ 
cludes: continental breakfasts, 
poolside barbecues Friday and 
Saturday evenings; 10 oz. filet mi- 
gnon dinner at the Brat Sunday 
evening; plus your room for the 
weekend! Reservation forms 
available only at the Brat, and 
must be prepaid by this Sunday 
evening, June 29. 

Next week: my visit to our 
newest, the Fickle Fox, and A 
Night of Stars dedicated to 
Princess Royale Starr (Doug 
Bohrer). By the by, it’s not such 
a coincidence that the name 
rings familiar with a now-closed 
establishment in San Francisco! 


Why is it that the first 90 per¬ 
cent of the job takes 10 percent 
of the time, and the last 10 per¬ 
cent of the job takes the other 90 
percent? Why should I smile? 
Love, Nez. • 



GRAND OPENING 



JULY 4th 

FREE CHAMPAGNE! 

GAY PRIDE WEEK! 

Special Drink, “HARVEY MILK”—$1.50 

DJ: Mike Barker 

“Best Sac. DJ ’85” (“Camp” Award) 

$1 Door charge (10% to A.I.D.S.) 
730 Lincoln Rd. E. 

( 707 ) 642-7350 

New in Vallejo — 1-80 at Georgia St. overpass 
2 miles So. of Marine World—Africa USA 


Full Bar-Disco-Lounge and Arcade 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 33 

















Forward Together 
No Turning Back 


Serving Castro Valley, Dublin, San 
Leandro and Hayward 


Qntuifc 


21 


TOM RICHARDSON 

Sales Associate 


parker associates Century 21 Parker Associates 
incorporated 886-2100 or 886-8311 

Let me tell you how I work. 



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Continental Breakfast • Hot Tub • Canoes • Nude Sunbathing 
Community Kitchen • BBQ 

SPECIAL WEEKDAY RATES-BUDDY NIGHT, THURS. 2/$35 
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P-O. Box 465 • 15905 River Road • Guerneville, CA 95448 • (707) 869-3279 


1 


h 





•PLAY 


"Safer Sex” Kits 


Health And Aids Prevention is a responsibility shared by 
everyone. Let s take charge of our health and our sex lives. 

LOOK FOR Your Kit at participating East Bay locations and 
organizations 

IF YOU LIVE In the East bay and would like to host a home party to 
distribute kits, please call (41 S» 420-8181. 


AIDS PROJECT OF THE EAST BAT 


400 40th Street. Suite 200 
Oakland. CA 94609 

A program of the Pacific Center for Human Growth 



Jim Chambers (I.) receives award from Tom Brougham 


(Photo: M. Brownstein) 


E. Bay Club Celebrates 4 Years 


Approximately 50 stalwarts of 
the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Demo¬ 
cratic Club gathered at the Man¬ 
darin Garden Restaurant in 
Berkeley Sunday, June 8, to cel¬ 
ebrate the fourth anniversary of 
the club’s founding. The event 
was a celebration and not a fund¬ 
raiser. Guests of club members 
were welcome, but the event was 
principally a “family” occasion 
for the dependable workers in the 
club to enjoy each other’s com¬ 
pany, and no effort was made to 
attract either politicians or finan¬ 
ciers. 

Armand Boulay, founding 


president of the Club, and his 
successor, Tom Brougham, were 
both present. 

A surprise award was made to 
club member Jim Chambers for 
Outstanding Service to the Com¬ 
munity in 1986. He was awarded 
a brass and walnut plaque. 
Chambers has been prominent in 
the club for his AIDS work in 
Alameda County, having served 
as chair of EBAR0, the East Bay 
AIDS Resources Organization, 
and continuing as its secretary. 

The club’s major successes 
during its first four years include 
passage of the gay rights or¬ 


dinance in Oakland, domestic 
partners legislation in Berkeley 
and the school districts of both 
Berkeley and Oakland, and 
tough AIDS antidiscrimination 
ordinances in both Berkeley and 
Oakland. The club continues to 
press for a similar AIDS or¬ 
dinance in Hayward and is cur¬ 
rently gearing up to oppose the 
LaRouche quarantine initiative. 

EBL/GDC meets at 7:30 p.m. 
on the third Monday of each 
month at Claremont Middle 
School, which is across Miles Av¬ 
enue from the Rockridge BART 
Station in Oakland. • 


Sun, Music For 
E. Bay Gay Day 


by Marc Slavin 

The East Bay Gay Pride celebra¬ 
tion got its usual one week head 
start over the main event in San 
Francisco with a Sunday after¬ 
noon outing in downtown Berk¬ 
eley, June 22. 

Nearly 1,000 celebrants gath¬ 
ered in Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Park for a day of sunshine, live 
music, and political speeches in 
what event organizers termed the 
East Bay’s “family picnic.” 

Much of the day’s rhetoric cen¬ 
tered on the anit-gay LaRouche 
AIDS initiative on the November 
ballot. Political activists used the 
occasion to kick off their anti- 
LaRouche campaign by signing 
up volunteers and collecting 
donations. 

East Bay Lesbian and Gay 
Democratic Club President Tom 
Brougham denounced the La¬ 
Rouche initiative as signalling 
“open season on all of us.” He 
said it would lead to a “reversal 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 34 


of current state policy which is • 
generally based on scientific re¬ 
search and compassion.” 

“We have not chosen this bat¬ 
tle,” Brougham said, “but we 
canot avoid it.” He called for a 
“united, broad-based cam¬ 
paign.” 

Berkeley Vice-Mayor Veronika 
Fukson called LaRouche a “mad¬ 
man” and promised, “This is a 
community that is going to fight 
this kind of blame-the-victims 
mentality.” 

Several dozen East Bay gay 
and lesbian groups lined the pe¬ 
rimeter of the park with colorful 
booths and displays while friends 
met for food and music on the 
grass. 

“San Francisco’s celebration 
is like Mardi Gras, ours is a fami¬ 
ly picnic,” said East Bay Gay and 
Lesbian Celebration Committee 
Co-Chair Jim Wilson. 

“In San Francisco it’s wonder¬ 
ful to be in a crowd of millions of 
gays and lesbians, but we have a 
smaller community over here; it’s 
more personal,” he said. 

Wilson served beer from a 
booth by the stage while the 
crowd stood and joined Lesbians 
of Color from the Pacific Center 
in a chorus of “We Won’t Study 
War No More.” 

“This is also an event which 
more women come to because 
proportionately, there are more 
lesbians ib the East Bay,” he said. 

Last year’s East Bay celebra¬ 
tion suffered from cold weather, 
but sun worshippers were out in 
force this time, including one 
man who brought his 14-foot pet 
Burmese python. The python, 
named Burt, lolled in the grass 
amid a crowd of the curious, and 
seemed to enjoy the music and 
sun as much as anyone else. • 


Flags 


(Continued from page 25) 

Freedom Day parade committee, 
now has only six stripes, repre¬ 
senting the artist’s rainbow; pink 
and violet have been dropped. 

According to Gilbert Baker, 
the flag’s designer, the original 
eight colors of the flag represent¬ 
ed: sex, life, healing, sun, nature, 
art, harmony, and spirit respec¬ 
tively. 

The Paramount Flag Company 
has produced a number of vari¬ 
ations on the rainbow flags for a 
variety of active gay organiza¬ 
tions. “As the rainbow has 
become associated with, and as 
of last year officially adopted by, 
the parade committee, we have 
seen rainbow variance, including 
rainbows with pink triangles. 
We’ve made some vertical rain¬ 
bows. We’ve made rainbows with 
lambdas, and rainbows with pink 
triangles and lambdas. We have 
made lambda rainbows and just 
colored lambda flags,” said Fer- 
rigan. 

“There is one group that said 
the gay flag should be orange 
with a purple lambda to repre¬ 
sent Halloween,” he said. 

“It is certainly through the 
parade committee in San Fran¬ 
cisco that the rest of the parade 
committees throughout the coun¬ 
try have discovered the rainbow,” 
said Ferrigan. “We are witness¬ 
ing the creation of a new interna¬ 
tional flag. What ultimate shape 
it will take we still don’t know. 
But it will definitely utilize the 
rainbow” 

Ferrigan believes the rainbow 
is an appropriate symbol of gay 
freedom because “the best and 
most historically used symbol for 
the unity of the whole and the 
diversity of its components is the 
rainbow. Each flag tells a story. 
When you think about national 
I flags, they are a country’s chance 
I to send a nonverbal message to 
I the rest of the world.” • 






























PWA 

(Continued from page 2) 


in the choice of speakers. Cele¬ 
bration co-chair Marsha Levine 
said the speakers who were select¬ 
ed were chosen to “give other 
people a chance to speak.” A 
statement issued Friday said, 
“We have chosen speakers who 
can best embrace their brothers 
and sisters with words of unifica¬ 
tion, rather than only addressing 
topics and issues of concern.” 

“The Freedom Day Commit¬ 
tee has created this stage using a 
new philosophy that we hope will 
be inclusive of all members of our 
community and not address the 
crowd as segmented and separa¬ 
tist,” said the committee’s state¬ 
ment. 

“They will direct their re¬ 
marks to a community that must 
and will stand together, strong 
and visible, in the face of vio¬ 
lence, AIDS, adverse legislation, 
and oppression.” said the com¬ 
mittee. 

Parade committee members< 
refused to elaborate on their 
statement, despite inquiries. 

People with AIDS aren’t the 
only group who got eliminated in 
the execution of the celebration’s 
“new philosophy.” No gay elect- 


LaRouche 

(Continued from page 2) 

the grassroots effort that will 
directly educate the public. It has 
six regional divisions. 

Fight LaRouche is the tenta¬ 
tive title of the second group. It 
will employ a political consultant 
to conduct a public attitude poll 
and raise the large amount of 
money necessary to run a televi¬ 
sion and newspaper advertising 
campaign. Some organizers are 
estimating that over $3 million 
will be needed in the overall ef¬ 
fort. 

PANIC (Prevent AIDS Now In¬ 
itiative Committee) is the Los 
Angeles-based LaRouche organ¬ 
ization that will present the 
“AIDS control” arguments. It is 
headed by Khushro Gandhi in 
Los Angeles and Brian Lantz in 
San Francisco. PANIC is an off¬ 
shoot of LaRouche’s National 
Democratic Policy Committee 
(NDPC). Gandhi heads the 
NDPC for California. 

Opponents of PANIC plan to 
target the unpopular LaRouche 
himself in a state campaign to 
defeat the initiative. A recent New 
York TimesICBS poll found that 
only one percent of the public has 
a favorable opinion of him and 20 
percent had an unfavorable opi¬ 
nion. The most frequent reasons 
for why people did not like 
LaRouche was that he was radi¬ 
cal, extremist, strange, crazy, or 
weird. 

WHO IS LAROUCHE? 

Lyndon LaRouche, 63, seldom 
leaves his fortified estate in 
Leesburg, Virginia where he is 
constantly fighting with local 
authorities. He uses the tele¬ 
phone a great deal to coordinate 
his scattered followers. NDPC 
runs hundreds of candidates for 
public office and has had a hand¬ 
ful of victories. 

What does LaRouche believe? 
He has stated that Walter Mon¬ 
dale is an agent of the Soviet 
KGB police, Henry Kissinger is 
gay and “sleeps with little boys,” 
Jews founded the Ku Klux Klan, 
and the U.S. is near economic 
collapse and will have to sur¬ 
render to the militarily superior 
Soviet Union. Currently under 
investigation by the Federal Elec- 


ed officials nor any gay candidate 
for public office will be allowed 
on the stage. 

Friday night the People with 
AIDS Alliance met to discuss the 
decisions of the steering commit¬ 
tee. Committee Board President 
Ken Jones was present at the 
meeting. 

Bobby Reynolds, a person with 
AIDS, said the group was told by 
Jones there would be four speak¬ 
ers. They were also told there 
would be no changes made in the 
program. The same evening a 
new list of speakers was issued 
from the Lesbian and Gay 
Freedom Day Committee with 
three additional speakers. 

Following their meeting with 
Ken Jones the People with AIDS 
Alliance prepared a statement. 
Richard Rector, a co-director of 
the AIDS Alliance, said the group 
had been deceived. What is clear 
is the fact that people with AIDS 
are angry, outraged, and hurt by 
the committee’s actions. 

Jones told the meeting that a 
special seating area had been set 
aside at the parade and the 
celebration for people with 
AIDS. An angry Richard Rector 
responded, “They want to pro¬ 
vide for us, yet they will not allow 
us to provide for others. They 
won’t even give us the time to 
thank the community.” Rector 
continued, “It has now become 
politically cor.rect to provide for 


tions Commission, he claims its 
members “are Nazis, controlled 
by the KGB as well as homosex¬ 
uals.” If placed in power he 
would “hang traitors.” His 
critics, he says, “originate with 
the drug lobby or with the Soviet 
operation.” 

It is not by accident that La¬ 
Rouche calls his California in¬ 
itiative group PANIC. In an hys¬ 
terical 32-page pamphlet on 
AIDS he states there will be no 
Americans alive by 1992 unless 
there are drastic steps taken to 
halt the spread of AIDS. He calls 
for extensive amounts of money 
to be spent on treatment and 
research—and for mandatory an¬ 
tibody testing and the quarantin¬ 
ing of those with AIDS and those 
“suspect” of having or develop¬ 
ing AIDS. 

Suddenly, in a complete rever¬ 
sal, LaRouche turned to the right 
—establishing contacts with the 
KKK, neo-Nazi groups, and the 
ultra-right Liberty Lobby. By 
1976, he had formed the U.S. 
Labor Party and ran for presi¬ 
dent. He tried again as a Demo¬ 
crat in 1980. By 1984, he was call¬ 
ing his operation the National 
Democratic Policy Committee 
(NDPC), a deliberately confusing 
name to appear to be an affiliate 
of the Democratic Party. He 
began runnng candidates under 
that title. In California, the cam¬ 
paign for the “AIDS control in¬ 
itiative” was run by leaders in the 
NDPC. 

In the past year, the Virginia 
recluse has been having legal 
problems across the country. He 
is contesting orders in three 
states to stop issuing unregis¬ 
tered promissory notes. In 
Boston federal court, three 
government agencies have charg¬ 
ed LaRouche followers with the 
fraudulent use of credit cards in¬ 
volving hundreds of thousands of 
dollars. The LaRouche candidate 
for Wisconsin Secretary of State 
was arrested for disorderly con¬ 
duct when he handed a piece of 
raw liver to the Milwaukee arch¬ 
bishop during a public meeting. 

The federal government has 
been attempting to trace 
LaRouche’s financial sources. 
The Virginian claims that he has 
100,000 dues-paying members 
and 10,000 subscribers (at $400 
a year) to his Executive In¬ 
telligence Review. His tax-exempt 


people with AIDS but it is not 
politically correct to have AIDS.” 

Rector said, “The People with 
AIDS Alliance will make a strong 
statement.” It won’t be on the 
stage but on the streets during 
the parade. Their contingent will 
be behind the San Francisco Gay 
Freedom Day Marching Band 
very close to the front of the 
parade. 

The People with AIDS Alli¬ 
ance banner will be at the begin¬ 
ning of their group. It will be 
followed by the Fighting for Our 
Lives banner. Motorized vehicles 
will be available for any person 
who is unable to walk the dis¬ 
tance of the parade. 

The statement will be their 
presence. They hope that every 
person who has AIDS or an 
AIDS-related condition, and is 
able, will join them Sunday in 
their symbol of dignity and pride. 

Sanford Kellman, a producer 
of next Sunday’s Giftcenter Pride 
Day Tea Dance, is openly furious 
at the actions of the celebration 
organizers. Kellman said, “If 
they can’t go on that stage, they 
sure as hell can go on mine.” 
With that said he said that every 
person with AIDS or ARC will be 
admitted free to the afternoon 
dance party. The People with 
AIDS Alliance is supervising the 
distribution of tickets. • 


Fusion Energy Foundation lists 
an annual income of $3.5 million. 

Today, this man with a strange 
history has become involved in 
California politics and AIDS. 
Why? He once was asked about 
his chameleon changes from left 
to right politics and replied, 
“We’ve changed our tactics. You 
work with who you can, when you 
can. • 



If you know what you’re not supposed to be 
doing, then why are you still doing it? 

★ ★ ★ 

Risk reduction is not only a choice, 
it’s a way of life. 

★ ★ ★ 

We can’t end this epidemic until we choose 
to end it. 

★ ★ ★ 

You can choose to reduce your chances 
of getting AIDS. 

★ ★ ★ 

Support safe sex and risk reduction. 

We care. 

Do you? 

For more information about playing safely, call: 
Sonoma County Public Health Department 
AIDS Project 

527-2247 

Toll free in Northern California call 800-FOR AIDS 

‘ ‘Make it safe to play in Sonoma County ’ ’ 

*Paid for with funds from the California State Department of Health Services 

BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 35 



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(All photos: Rink) 



Forward Together- 
No Turning Back 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 37 






































NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


THE WAY WE WERE 


The Movement Did Not Begin at Stonewall 


How to Build a Community When the Cops Watch Every Move, 
Papers Print Your Name, Address, and Your're Fired 

by Brian Jones 

Thirty years ago, two pioneering publications broke decades of silence 
for lesbians and gay men. It was long before Stonewall and it was here in 
San Francisco. Recently, founders of the Mattachine Review and The Lesbian 
Ladder got together to reminisce, and to mark the thirtieth anniversary of 
gay and lesbian publishing here. 

“Phyllis and Del and I are so fed up with hearing that everything started 
in New York and that anything that had to do with the gay movement began 
with Stonewall—as though anything which happened before Stonewall was 
written in stone, like archeology, to be dug up somewhere. Well, it wasn’t 
like that.” Speaking was Hal Call, animated as always, flanked by Phyllis 
Lyon and Del Martin. 



Harry Hay, Bill Plath and Hal Call (Photo: Rink) 


The occasion was a forum of 
the Committee to Preserve our 
Sexual and Civil Liberties and 
the topic was the way we were. 

Like so many early San Fran¬ 
cisco gay activists, Hal Call 
came here because he was forc¬ 
ed out of somewhere else for be¬ 
ing who he was. In this case the 
town was Chicago. 

“I worked there for a bureau 
of the Kansas City Star, and one 
night I was caught in a car with 
three other people not 25 yards 
from the Lincoln Park Police 
Station. The cops shined their 
lights in on us and though we 
weren’t really doing anything, in 
those days you didn’t have to 
be,” Call said. 

“They told me at the Kansas 
City Star that they couldn’t have 
a homosexual scandal, so, would 
I resign. And so I did. I had 
known since age 13 I was that 
way and I couldn’t change. I’d 
tried,” said Call. 

He moved to San Francisco 
and in 1953 found himself at a 


meeting at UC-Berkeley. The 
discussion was about a new 
organization, the Mattachine 
Society, which had been found¬ 
ed in Los Angeles. 

'ENORMOUS RESPONSE' 

“This was the beat era and 
Jack Kerouac and Ginsberg were 


on the fringes of it and, so, some 
people were willing to approach 
it. In February 1953, we found¬ 
ed the Mattachine Society here 
and we were active up to the mid 
60s. I was the Head Queen of the 
Mattachine. Still am,” said Call. 

Not long after, the Daughters 
of Bilitis was founded here in 
1955. Phyllis Lyon said, “The 
Daughters of Bilitis was found¬ 
ed because a third-world, blue- 
collar woman wanted to have a 


social club for lesbians in San 
Francisco. Somebody called 
us”—Lyon and Del Martin were 
already lovers at the time—“and 
said do you want to be invited 
and we said, ‘yes!’ We wanted to 
know if there were any other les¬ 
bians in San Francisco.” 


Society launched its monthly 
magazine, the Mattachine 
Review, the same year, 1955. It 
was the second journal for gay 
men; the first was published by 
One, Inc. in Los Angeles. 

The Mattachine Review was a 
magazine format and had a va¬ 
riety of articles on topics such 
as job discrimination and com¬ 
ing out. “I had several pen 
names because I didn’t want 


people to know that I was writ¬ 
ing most of it, but of course I 
published my own name on the 
masthead,” said Call. 

Shortly thereafter, the Daugh¬ 
ters of Bilitis decided they too 
needed a publication. They 
published 175 copies of a 
newsletter on the mimeograph at 
the Mattachine Society head¬ 
quarters. “The mimeograph 
broke down after 175 copies and 
that was what determined our 
press run,” said Lyon. 

“We had to print our own 
publication because newspapers 
wouldn’t print anything about 
gays and lesbians unless it was 
that they were arrested,” Lyon 
said. 

“We mailed it to everybody 
anybody knew, to all the mem¬ 
bers’ friends all over the coun¬ 
try. The response was enormous; 
we didn’t expect it.” 

How to find closeted lesbians 
in San Francisco was a problem. 
The Daughters decided to send 
copies of issue number two of 
the Ladder to “every female at¬ 
torney in the phone book,” said 
Lyon. 

“We got threatened with law¬ 
suits. We also got some legal 
friends, too,” said Lyon. 

PREACHERS' COATTAILS 

Gay and lesbian organizing in 
San Francisco was well underway 
by the end of 1956. By 1959, the 
whispers around town that “the 
deviants were getting active 
here” became an issue in the 
mayoral election. 

“In 1959, Russ Wolden was 
challenging Mayor George 
Christopher, saying that 
Christopher was coddling the 
deviants,” Call said. But even 
then, such blue-nose tactics 
weren’t too popular in San Fran¬ 
cisco. “It backfired badly on 
Wolden and he was thumped.” 

The next wave in the gay rev¬ 
olution came from the women. 
They held the Daughters of 
Bilitis first national confer¬ 
ence. Two hundred women from 
throughout the nation had 
shown up For the conference; it 
was the largest gay assemblage 
in American history. 

And they all wore dresses, 
which was important. 

“Our conference was very 
traditional,” said Del Martin. 
“We had a program, a luncheon, 
a keynote speaker. Well, some 
police showed up and said they 
were with the homosexual detail 
of the vice squad. Why, I didn’t 
even know there was such a 
thing. We said, can we help you 
and handed one of them a pro¬ 
gram. They were stumped for a 
minute and then said, ‘Do any 
of you dress in clothes of the 
opposite sex?’ 

“Well, look around,” Martin 
said she told them. “We were all 
dressed to the teeth. Women who 
had never had a skirt on were in 
elegant dresses. That settled it, 
and they left.” 

The cops were having more 
success harassing gay men. 


“On the flimsiest of evidence 
you were sent to jail, just on the 
allegation of lewd and lascivious 
behavior. The newspapers were 
right in step with this whole 
thing. There was a late night 
party near Stinson Beach. The 
cops got wind of it and they raid¬ 
ed the place and everybody was 
sent to jail,” said Call. 

“The next day in the paper 
the name of every person was 
published, in boldface type, with 
their job and address. This lead 
to firings and suicides,” Call 
said. 

With the election of John F. 
Kennedy as president in 1960, it 
seemed a new era had come 
when gays and lesbians could 
push for equal rights political¬ 
ly. But politicians wouldn’t 
budge without first getting the 
nod from religious leaders. 

“Phil Burton told us, get the 
churches. I can’t introduce a 
thing or they’ll bounce me for 
legislating sin.” At that time 
Burton, later a Member of Con¬ 
gress, served in the state Senate. 

“It took us a while to find 
some preachers’ coattails to ride 
on so the newspapers would give 
us some attention,” Call said. 

1964 marked a turning point. 
First, KQED television aired a 
landmark documentary on gays 
and lesbians called The Re¬ 
jected. Remembers Phyllis Lyon, 
“Bishop Pike, the Episcopal 
Bishop, was on it. Then he ap¬ 
pointed a committee.” 

Del Martin said, “We never 
missed a meeting of that com¬ 
mittee. We were always there. So 
they never could talk about 
‘them,’ They had to talk about 
‘us.’ Since we were there, the 
conservatives wouldn’t say 
negative things, and the liberals 
got a good report passed.” 

Also in 1964, a sort of summit 
conference of gay lib took place. 

It was a retreat and represen¬ 
tatives from Mattachine, the 
Daughters of Bilitis, and the 
Tavern Guild took part. So did 
a few members of the clergy. 

“That is the first time we got 
some valid clerical coattails to 
ride on. They went out and told 
the people, ‘See here. These are 
human beings we are dealing 
with,”’ Call said. 

San Francisco’s big coming 
out party was the now-infamous 
drag ball on New Year’s Eve, 
1965. The laws were still on the 
books which forbade cross-dres¬ 
sing. Only Halloween was an ex¬ 
ception. 

Gays decided to push the law 
and have a drag ball on New 
Year’s Eve. The cops moved in 
and made numerous arrests; but 
it was a rearguard action, which 
proved more than anything that 
such oppression of gays would 
no longer work in San Francisco. 

“Herb Donaldson was one of , 
the first ones arrested. Today he ■ 
is a judge,” Call said. “There f 
have been things come to pass . 
that I never thought I’d live to 
see.” B 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 38 


Meanwhile, the Mattachine 


‘The next day in the paper, the name of every 
person arrested was published in boldface type 
with their job and address.’ 

-Hal Call 










Diana Christensen 

To Stop Violence 
Reach Out to Kids 

by Will Snyder 

According to Diana Christensen, “communication” is vital 
when trying to reach out from the gay and lesbian communi¬ 
ty to the straight community. All the executive director of 
Community United Against Violence had to do was point to 
an evaluation of one of CUAV’s speakers at a San Francisco 
high school to get across her point. 

“The kids are supposed to send back evaluations of our 
talks,” she related, “and one of them was interesting and chill¬ 
ing. It said ‘Killing’s my job. I like my job’” 

who has spent much of her lite- 


Fortunately, not all of the 
evaluations contain messages 
like that. But Christensen said it 
is an indication of why CUAV 
goes into Bay Area high schools. 

“We get good feedback, too,” 
she said. “We feel good that we 
have been able to go outside the 
sex ed classes to help people. 
That’s one of the great things 
about this situation. When a lot 
of other people see us, they can’t 
help but notice that we are not 
child molesters. 

“This is important,” she add¬ 
ed, “because we know that 50 
percent of the people who assault 
gays and lesbians are kids under 
20 years of age.” 

She said it is important to get 
to the younger set to change view¬ 
points. Older people set in their 
ways are going to be difficult to 
change, according to Christen¬ 
sen, “but I expect to change the 
kids to be clearer thinkers.” 

That kind of confidence fits 
right in with Diana Christensen, 
an energetic 27-year-old woman 


time in the Bay Area. That kind 
of energy and confidence is 
reflected in the fact that 
Christensen not only oversees 
CUAV, but is also president of the 
Commission on the Status of 
Women. She’s also a member of 
the Bay Area Lawyers for In¬ 
dividual Freedom as well as on 
the San Francisco women’s 
volleyball team for Gay Games II. 

She admitted that she joined 
CUAV for purely mercenary 
reasons. “Why did I join CUAV? 
I needed a job. It’s simple 
economics,” she said. 

But it wasn’t long before she 
found herself becoming a deter¬ 
mined activist. She remembered 
demonstrating in 1981 with oth¬ 
er CUAV members outside of 
Mission police station for the 
removal of then-Capt. Don Taylor. 
The latter had been strongly 
criticized by the gay and lesbian 
community for hostile attitudes 
coming out of Mission police. 

Two days after the protests, 
Taylor was bounced by former po- 



Diana Christensen 


(Photo: Rink) 


lice Chief Con. Murphy. Vic 
Macia became the captain at 
Mission and relations between 
police and the gay and lesbian 
community have been vastly im¬ 
proved since then. 

“The relationship between the 
gay and lesbian community and 
the police department is extreme¬ 
ly important for us at CUAV,” 
said Christensen. “We are find¬ 
ing out more and more every day 
how they operate and how we can 
help each other. The problems 
that happened in 1981 have been 
lessened a great deal. 

“Vic Macia has been a key 
player here,” she added. “Chief 
Jordan (Frank Jordan, the new 
police chief) will be a key player. 


Even Con Murphy was a key 
player. His shakeup of the force 
at that time was helpful and good 
for us.” 

She pointed out that this kind 
of relationship was a contrast to 
police/gay activities in the past. 
“Just 25 years ago,” she said 
“police were raiding gay bars. It 
was an everyday thing, even in 
San Francisco. Now the relations 
between the two groups are much 
improved.” 

She paid tribute to past gay 
and lesbian leaders and said their 
struggles are essentially the same 
as the current generation of gay 
and lesbian leaders. “I have so 
much respect for people such as 
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon,” 


she said. “They had a lot of 
tough things happen back then, 
but they never gave up. If we 
think that we are facing tough 
battles, we should remember the 
struggles of our past leaders.” 

With that in mind, she says, 
CUAV is pushing forward with its 
programs for communications. 
The speakers will continue to go 
into the high schools. The 
monitors will continue to watch 
over parades and events which 
could be occasions for violence. 
Diana Christensen and others 
from CUAV will continue to sit 
down with the police and work on 
how to eliminate reactions such 
as “Killing is my job,” from area 
youth. • 



NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Thank you for making 
our new Castro store’s 
first anniversary the 
great event it is! 


557 Castro 
at 18th 



1217 Polk 
at Sutter 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 39 











NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Juanita Owens 


Communications Key 
To Police Relations 


by Dianne Gregory 

If Juanita Owens were asked the question used by the Peace 
Corps recruiting commercials of the 60s,—Do you think the 
glass is half empty or half full?’—she would surely answer that 
it is half full. 

Owens, appointed by Mayor Dianne Feinstein Jan. 7 to 
finish Jo Daly's term on the San Francisco Police Commis¬ 
sion, really believes in civic duty and the importance of mak¬ 
ing a contribution to society. Fortunately, as not only the sole 
gay person on the commission but the only woman, she is in 
a position to do so. 


“I want to make a contribu¬ 
tion,” Owens said in a recent in¬ 
terview. “I’m in the system and 
therefore I can speak and raise 
issues that need to be raised.” 

Owens comes out of a strong 
matriarchal tradition that em¬ 
phasizes hard work and accom¬ 
plishment. Of Portuguese and 
American Indian ancestry, she 
was partially raised by her grand¬ 
mother, who admonished her to 
“make something of yourself.” 
That she did. 

She received her Ph.D. in edu¬ 
cation from the University of San 
Francisco after getting a master’s 
in multicultural education from 
the same university and doing 
undergraduate work at San Fran¬ 
cisco State University. She paid 
her own way through school, 
sometimes holding down three 
jobs. She is now the assistant 
director of the Mission Com¬ 
munity College Center, after hav¬ 
ing spent 14 years with the Com¬ 
munity College District. She 
started out teaching graphics. 
Owens also spent two years on the 
San Francisco Commission on 
the Status of Women. And then 
early in 1986 came the appoint¬ 


ment to the police commission. 

“I am familiarizing myself 
with the operations [of the police 
department] so that I can make 
good decisions,” Owens told the 
Bay Area Reporter. Part of that 
familiarization process has in¬ 
cluded visits to the Fingerprint 
and Communications Divisions, 
meeting with a women’s support 
group within the department, 
and going on a “ride-along” 
with a police officer. “There was 
one moment when I felt vulner¬ 
able [on the ride-along],” she 
said, “and now I know how the of¬ 
ficers feel.” She also plans to 
walk a police beat in the near 
future. 

Owens brings a solid educa¬ 
tion administration background 
to the commission, and takes a 
management approach to the 
job. Every time an officer comes 
before the commission charged 
with an act of wrongdoing or in¬ 
ferior job performance, she 
thinks not of retribution but of 
education. 

“We can develop or modify 
programs that can have a positive 
effect on field operations,” she 
said. “We need to use preven- 



Juanita Owens with Mayor Dianne Feinstein 


titive medicine.” She also says 
she wants to be viewed by the 
rank and file police officers as 
honest, informed, understand¬ 
ing, and compassionate. 

So, how does this relate to the 
lesbian and gay community? 
Owens says that although she is 
a representative of the communi¬ 
ty on the commission, she 
represents the people of the City 
of San Francisco foremost. 

“I’m [on the Police Commis¬ 
sion] to serve the people of San 
Francisco,” she said. “I’m here 
to do a job. It’s a big responsibili¬ 
ty, anything that deals with peo¬ 
ple’s lives, and we [the gay com¬ 
munity] don’t stand alone.” 

Owens also says the best way 
she can serve the gay communi¬ 
ty is to keep the lines of com¬ 
munication open. 

“People have access to me,” 
said Owens. “That’s how I can 
best serve our community.” One 


way she is doing that is to become 
a sort of liaison between the po¬ 
lice department and the Les¬ 
bian/Gay Freedom Day Parade 
Committee. She says she has 
already set up new lines of com¬ 
munication between the parade 
committee and the command 
post that serves as a center for of¬ 
ficers covering the parade. She 
also intends to work closely with 
the Community United Against 
Violence (CUAV). 

Another line of communica¬ 
tion Owens has set up is with Po¬ 
lice Chief Frank Jordan. She says 
he is a man of integrity, and that 
she “feels confident about” her 
relationship with him. Another 
person who has shown her much 
support is former commissioner 
Jo Daly, who she says really cares 
about the police department. 

Overall, what may sound to 
some as an idealistic police com¬ 
missioner, Juanita Owens is tem- 


(Photo: Rink) 


pered with a healthy streak of 
realism. She realizes just how 
complex the police department 
is, and wants to act in the best in¬ 
terests of all concerned. 

“I feel like I can make some 
changes that are positive,” she 
said. “You identify the needs and 
then do what you can to imple¬ 
ment the needed changes. I have 
no problem making decisions 
and standing behind them.” 

In order to implement change, 
Owens knows that prioritization 
and hard work are the best ways 
to get things done. She says that 
if she can make just one change 
for the better during her tenure 
on the police commission, she 
will be satisfied. 

“We’re fortunate as gays and 
lesbians to live in San Francisco,” 
she said. “We live in a city where 
we can effect change, where we 
have a voice. I want my skills to 
be used to the fullest. • 



Law Wilson 


He's Attorney For 
The Chief Of Police 


by Tom Horn 


Law Wilson is not an ordinary young lawyer working for the 
city. He happens to be the lawyer for the chief of police. In 
fact, he’s been the lawyer for the last three chiefs of police. 
A 1977 graduate of Hastings Law School, with a background 
in law enforcement and civil rights work in the South, Law 
Wilson was a natural to fill the vacancy with the police depart¬ 


ment. 

Not wanting there to be any 
misunderstanding, he told them 
right up front that he was gay. He 
recalls with satisfaction that 
upon that revelation, “they 
didn’t bat an eye.” In fact, he con¬ 
siders it to their great credit that 
although he was to be the lawyer 
for the chief, the interviewing of¬ 
ficer did not even consider the 
fact of his gayness significant 
enough to discuss with the chief 
before he was hired. 


Always loving politics, Law 
Wilson walked precincts for the 
late Mayor George Moscone. The 
1973 mayoral election between 
Moscone and conservative John 
Barbagelata was decided by less 
than two votes per precinct. He 
smiled as he noted that, “I cer¬ 
tainly got him more thah two 
votes in my precinct.” 

His advice was consistently 
sought by the young Mayor 
Moscone who, as Law recalls, 


“was able to impart a vision of 
how things ought to be.” He 
specifically recalls Moscone’s 
willingness to go to the mat over 
Proposition 6, the Briggs in¬ 
itiative in 1978 that would have 
prohibited homosexuals from 
teaching in public schools in 
California.Having worked hard 
as political action chair for the 
Alice B. Toklas Lesbian and Gay 
Democratic Club and also as its 
membership chair, in 1982 he 
was appointed to the Elections 
Commission by Mayor Dianne 
Feinstein. An eleven member 
board, appointed in part by the 
mayor and in part by the Board 
of Supervisors, it is charged with 
providing advice to the Registrar 
of Voters as well as encouraging 
citizen participationin elections. 
Its real significance, Law feels, is 
providing access for gay people 
to the city power structure. As 
one of 200 city commissioners, if 
Law needs to twist somebody’s 
arm, he need only pick up the 
phone. 

His most challenging role, he 
feels, has been in his capacity as 
lawyer for the chief of police. He 
was hired originally to prosecute 
police officers who had broken 
the rules, not a very popular job. 

(Continued on page 46) 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 40 












NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Jim Foster 

Making Changes 
On Health Panel 

by Tom Horn 

“I asked for the job because I wanted to make a difference,” 
says San Francisco Health Commissioner Jim Foster. He has 
been making a difference for some thirty years. It is difficult 
to think of anyone who has been more in the forefront and on 
the cutting edge of the gay movement in this country than Jim 
Foster. 


ACLU Puts National 
Resources Into Gay Rights 

Largest Civil Liberties Organization In U.S. Is First 
Non-Gay Legal Group to Work for Gay Rights 

by Marc Slavin 

With the appointment last month of Nan Hunter as staff counsel, the American Civil Liber¬ 
ties Union launched its first national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, becoming the first non¬ 
gay legal rights organization in the country to establish a gay rights division. 

Hunter, who has been staff counsel of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project for the past 
five years, was in San Francisco at the end of May to “go over priorities” with gay leaders before 
assuming her new duties. 


The ACLU’s position as the country’s pre-eminent civil liberties organization gives its new 
emphasis on gay and lesbian rights a tremendous political significance and puts Hunter in the 
spotlight. 



Nan Hunter (Photo: H. Seidman) 


Born in Brooklyn, New York 
and educated at Brown Universi¬ 
ty, he came to San Francisco in 
1959 after having been honorably 
discharged from the United 
States Army. “I knew I was gay 
then,” he says, “but this was 
1957!” He laughs that possibly 
he should have followed the ad¬ 
vice of a friend and “check the 
box very heavily and then erased 
it.” 

Recognizing how tightly shut 
the closet door was, Jim was not 
in San Francisco long before he 
began organizing the gay and les¬ 
bian community into a social and 
political force. He met David 
Goodstein, later to become the 
publisher of The Advocate, to¬ 
gether they created the Whitman 
-Radcliffe Foundation, a tax- 
exempt organization directed to¬ 
wards providing information and 
social programs for the gay and 
lesbian community. 

While there he started the first 
gay substance abuse program in 
San Francisco. This has now be¬ 
come Acceptance House and 
18th Street Services. In 1973 he 
began a national advertising 
campaign aimed at demystifying 
homosexuality. That same year 
Rick Stokes became the first 
openly gay person (except Jose) to 
seek elected political office. Jim 
ran his campaign for Communi¬ 
ty College Board. It was a very 
close election with Rick just miss¬ 


ing it. 

At this time in history, Jim 
recalls, gays were spending all of 
their energies attempting to 
educate straight people. Wanting 
to deal with the real problems, 
political, legal, and social, that af¬ 
fected gay people, Jim founded 
the Society for Individual Rights 
(SIR). Various committees were 
formed dealing with different 
problems. Jim served as the chair 
of the community services com¬ 
mittee which dealt in such areas 
as VD education and employ¬ 
ment services. 

SIR also sponsored the first 
same-sex dances in San Fran¬ 
cisco. “This was considered 
radical at the time,” says Foster. 
It provoked raids by the police 
but Jim stuck by his guns and 
with the help of lawyers like Herb 
Donaldson (now a judge) and 
Rick Stokes, he helped establish 
the right for gays to have dances. 

SIR served a valuable function 
but Jim felt it would never reach 
its full political power potential 
since it was not within the context 
of the Democratic Party. Feeling 
that there needed to be a gay 
political club, he founded the 
Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club. 

He remembers dragging 20 or 
25 people from the old SIR office 
on 6th Street down to the Califor¬ 
nia Democratic Council Conven- 
(Continued on page 53) 


In an early morning interview 
with the B.A.R. at the ACLU’s 
San Francisco office, Hunter 
paused over a bagel and cream 
cheese to answer questions on 
civil rights challenges faced by 
the gay and lesbian community 
and the growing role she hopes 
the ACLU will play in gay rights 
work. 

“We are at a very interesting 
moment,” she says. “Because of 
AIDS, gay and lesbian rights is¬ 
sues have irrevocably entered 
mainstream political discourse in 
this country. There is a new 
searching for language and 
ideas.” She urges gay activists to 
seize the moment and act aggres¬ 
sively to shape the current 
debate. 

“It is very important for those 
of us active in the community to 
try and guide the discussion and 
supply the principles which soci¬ 
ety as a whole can use to restruc¬ 
ture more fairly the rights of peo¬ 
ple in our community,” she said. 

Hunter added, “AIDS on the 
one hand has generated enor¬ 
mous hysteria, but it has also pro¬ 
vided the context in which cer¬ 
tain progressive steps can be 
taken. It is a double-edged 
phenomenon.” 

With the number of gay and 
lesbian rights cases accelerating, 
Hunter says an unprecedented 


and “urgent” focus has devel¬ 
oped on questions of law that can 
have an impact for years to come. 

“Because of AIDS, issues of 
life partners who survive have 
become more visible in areas of 
housing, bereavement leave, and 
property bequest,” she says. 

With the inception of the 
rights program, gays and lesbians 
will have a legal resource center 
in place virtually everywhere in 
the country. “Like gay people,” 
says Hunter, “the ACLU is 
everywhere.” 

Touting the ACLU’s nation¬ 
wide resources, Hunter says, 
“For gay people who live where 
the oppression is the worst, often 
the only civil rights organization 
that’s there for them to turn to is 
the ACLU, and some of our most 
important work arises in those 
areas.” 

She particularly points to 
Hardwick v. Bowers, the 
challenge to the constitutionali¬ 
ty of Georgia’s sodomy law, cur¬ 
rently awaiting a Supreme Court 
decision. Hunter prepared the 
ACLU’s friend of the court brief 
when the case was at the appeals 
level. 

She says such legal challenges 
to the nation’s sodomy laws must 
be put on a par with AIDS issues 
as one of the major civil rights 

BAY AREA REPORTER 


battles facing the gay com¬ 
munity. 

Roughly half of the states have 
sodomy laws, according to Hunt¬ 
er. “They are seldom enforced, 
but they are relied on to deny 
rights in custody cases, in 
employment cases, in housing 
cases. The argument is that when 
one admits to being gay or les¬ 
bian, one is admitting to be a 
criminal under the laws of the 
state. They are anachronistic and 
hypocritical and they are used 
against us continually and sym¬ 
bolically and very powerfully.” 

While Hunter believes the case 
can be won, she says it is likely to 
be decided on a narrowly defined 
doctrine of privacy. “I don’t ex¬ 
pect this Supreme Court to issue 
any sweeping judgements on the 
morality of lesbian and gay rela¬ 
tions,” she says. 

Hunter believes the meaning 
of a Hardwick win should be 
“carefully constructed to expand 
upon whatever principles of sex¬ 
ual privacy are secured.” She 
foresees stepping up efforts to 
eradicate sodomy laws in states 
where they exist. “All hell will 
break loose on that issue,” she 
says. 

A Hardwick loss, on the other 
hand, would signal “a major re¬ 
trenchment.” • 

JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 41 
















MCC Answers Needs 
Of Gay Spiritual Community 


Two S.F. Churches Strive to Serve Many Needs, 
Work to Integrate Gays Into Religious Mainstream 

by Steve Warren 


As Anita Bryant used to trumpet, “Orange juice isn't just for breakfast anymore,” the pastors 
of San Francisco's two Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) will tell you that churches 
serving the gay and lesbian community are no longer just for worship—if they ever were. 

Rev. Jim Mitulski moved here last month from New York with his lover, Bob Crocker, to pastor 
MCC of San Francisco (Eureka Street). where he will be formally installed July 12. Rev. Elder 
James E. Sandmire is pastor emeritus of that church but currently pastors Golden Gate MCC, 
which he founded five years ago. 


In separate interviews the men 
expressed many similar ideas. 
“There are ways to serve the com¬ 
munity other than Sunday morn¬ 
ing worship,” Mitulski said. 

Sandmire elaborated some of 
them. “In this town if you have 
a lover and any sense of religious 
commitment, you call MCC for a 
holy union. Gay fathers and les¬ 
bian mothers call us for christen¬ 
ings. When people are sick— 
even before AIDS, though it’s 
certainly increased—their lovers 
or families will ask us to visit 
them.” 

And speaking of the many 
memorial services held at his 
church, Mutulski added that even 
though people may not attend 
church, “They want the oppor¬ 
tunity to ritually observe the 
passing of a friend.” 

“In these moments of passage 
in our lives,” Sandmire summed 
up, “we’re still influenced by our 
culture to mark those in church.” 

From different perspectives 
both men observed that tradi¬ 
tional religion is not the major in¬ 
dustry in San Francisco that it is 
elsewhere. 

“New York seemed to be a 
more religious culture than San 
Francisco,” noted Mitulski, still 
in the “first impression” stage. 
“I’ve met many people here who 
never grew up in church. On the 
church page I find listings for 
churches I’ve never seen before.” 

“The gay community is some¬ 
what like the general communi¬ 
ty,” Sandmire said of the city, “in 
that institutionalized religion is 
not terribly important to them. 
On the other hand there is a 
strong religious sense.” He cited 
AIDS vigils and other events as 
having “strong religious over¬ 
tones,” adding that even before 
AIDS he was aware of “a kind of 
selfless humanism, a spontane¬ 
ous kind of caring” in the way 
the community took care of its 
own. 

Mitulski has found that gay 
men and lesbians have a greater 
sense of community here than in 
New York, as well as a higher 
degree of integration with full ac¬ 
ceptance into the community at 
large, “so the challenge for the 
church is to engage people on a 
deeper level than just their sex¬ 
ual orientation. There’s no novel¬ 
ty about being a ‘gay church.’ 
This allows our two churches to 
develop individual identities and 
for each to reach constituencies 
that the other may not.” He 
characterized MCC of San Fran¬ 



cisco as “lively. It’s growing, it’s 
interesting. It’s not a church that 
requires you to check your brains 
at the door.” 


Sandmire speculated on the 
differences in the people who 
sought his help in founding 
Golden Gate MCC Five years ago, 
which still apply to his congrega¬ 
tion today. “More people were 
older—although we have young¬ 
er people too. There were more 
couples—we have a lot of coup¬ 
les.” Sandmire and his life mate, 
Jack Hubbs, marked their 27th 
anniversary June 15, he said. 

“There were quite a lot of con¬ 
servative people—in the best 
sense of the word. My politics are 
certainly not conservative and 
they knew my politics. They were 
interested in liturgy and social 
action. At first they wanted to be 
in a different area of town but 
that’s becoome less important 
because we both draw from all 
over the city,” said Sandmire. 

Despite efforts to avoid it,, 
many people—even some mem- 


viewed the start of Golden Gate 
MCC as some sort of schism and 
have continued to presume the 
churches to be in competition 
with each other. Sandmire, who 
has been involved with MCC 
since the San Francisco church 
began in 1970, disputed that no¬ 
tion. 


“In the early days,” he said, 
“it was posited that there would 
one day be five MCC’s in San 
Francisco because of the popula¬ 
tion size. The Baptists always 
grow by getting mad, but not all 
churches are like that.” He 
pointed to his own Mormon back¬ 
ground for an example of a 
church that forms a new congre¬ 
gation when an existing one 
reaches a certain size. 


The time for expansion 
seemed right when, in 1981, a 
group approached him at MCC 
of the Redwoods in Marin Coun¬ 
ty, another of the four churches 
he has founded (the other two are 
in Oakland and West Hollywood), 
to ask him to start a church in 


Rev. Jim Mitulski 


(Photo: S. Warren) 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 42 



(Photo: S. Warren) 


Rev. Jim Sandmire 


different appeal.” Said Sand¬ 
mire, “Some of them were new to 
MCC, some had been members 
in San Francisco or Oakland, but 
none were currently involved.” 

They went through the proper 
channels, and the new church 
even had the support of Rev. Jim 
Dykes, then pastor of MCC of 
San Francisco. Still, people will 
think what they want, and even 
though the churches have had 
some joint activities over the 
years they haven’t been perceived 
as unified. That is about to 
Change. 

“As pastor emeritus [of MCC 
of San Francisco] I am very much 
concerned that this church be 
successful,” Sandmire said. “I 
made it a point to meet with Jim 
[Mitulski] and we’ve resolved to 
work together in every way possi¬ 
ble.” 


“AIDS has resulted in an in¬ 
crease in interest in the church. 
It forces you to reexamine your 
priorities, and as a result many 
people have turned to the 
church.” 

Sandmire echoed this senti¬ 
ment. The AIDS crisis has made 
a difference,” he said. “Many of 
the gay community seek a lot of 
escape. A lot of our compulsive 
sexual behavior, the bar scene, 
was a matter of putting aside 
eternal questions for the pleasure 
of the moment. 

“Suddenly, the meaning of life 
and death invaded our lives, and 
we had to confront essentially 
religious questions, questions of 
faith.” 

“The role of the church,” 
Mitulski said, “is to help these 
people deal with these religious 
questions—not necessarily to 


'Suddenly the meaning of life and death in¬ 
vaded our lives and we had to confront issues 
of faith/ 


“I’m committed to a new era 
of cooperation,” Mitulski affirm¬ 
ed. “We are one denomination. 
We worship in different places.” 

With primarily homosexual 
congregations both churches are, 
of course, heavily involved in 
AIDS ministry. They will soon an¬ 
nounce plans for their joint par¬ 
ticipation in MCC’s fellowship¬ 
wide AIDS prayer vigil, Sept. 
5-7. 

“In New York,” Mitulski 
observed, “GMHC [Gay Men’s 
Health Crisis] prepares people to 
die. I believe AIDS can help peo¬ 
ple to live. The important ques¬ 
tions are not ‘Am I going to get 
AIDS?’ but ‘What is the quality 
of my life? What is the quality of 
my relationship with others? 
What is the quality of my real- 
tionship with God?’ 


convert all of them to Christiani¬ 
ty. Some of them may attend one 
service, or none at all.” 

The turn to the church, he cau¬ 
tioned, is far from unanimous. 
“I’ve encountered a lot of anger 
toward God around the AIDS 
issue.” 

“MCC is the church of the 
community,” Sandmire explain¬ 
ed. “Because there’s an anti- 
religious tone growing out of 
great hurt in the gay movement 
and the women’s movement, 
there’s a tendency to denigrate 
churches, especially MCC.” He 
sees this as the response of a 
vocal minority. “I don’t think it’s 
shared by the community at 
large.” 

In the gay parade every year, 
Sandmire pointed out, the MCC 
(Continued on next page) 









NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Lyon-Martin: Women 
Taking Care of Women 

Clinic Care for Women's Physical, Emotional Health 
Works to Give Attention to Lesbian Concerns 

by Sharon Page 

Underrated, underresearched, and underreported, lesbian health issues are still emerging 
from a closet of neglect and invisibility. In the movements to redress the failings of the medical 
establishment, lesbian-specific concerns have taken a back seat to heterosexual women’s and, 
more recently, gay men’s health needs. 



Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin 


(Photo: Rink) 


Working to ensure attention to lesbian wellness is the Lyon-Martin Clinic for Women’s Health 
Services. Now in its sixth year, the clinic is unique in three respects. It goes beyond gynecological 
care to provide comprehensive primary services. It is San Francisco’s only such women’s health 
care facility that is not for profit. And it is especially concerned with lesbian medical and 

emotional needs. , . 

over 200 women each month. 

Almost three-quarters of these 
are lesbians and about one- 
quarter women of color. The 
clinic’s location in the heart of 
the Mission district and its bilin¬ 
gual, multicultural staff are draw¬ 
ing in growing numbers of Lati- 
nas of all sexual orientations. 

Miller described the clinic’s 
most effective means of promo¬ 
tion as word of mouth. In a recent 
survey of community health clin¬ 
ics, she said, 92 percent of Lyon- 
Martin clients reported being 
“very satisfied” with their ex¬ 
perience. 

In response to community de¬ 
mand, the clinic is expanding its 
services, with plans to offer 
massage, acupuncture, and chiro- 
practics. An art gallery showcas¬ 
ing local talent has become a per¬ 
manent feature of the facility. 
Miller enthusiastically en¬ 
courages artists to submit exhibit 
proposals. 

Recently Lyon-Martin kicked 
off an ongoing series of lectures 
on topical issues, held the last 
Thursday of each month in con¬ 
junction with the Iris Project, a 
substance abuse counseling serv¬ 
ice. The June 26 program fea¬ 
tures a discussion on Women and 
AIDS, with Nancy Shaw of the 
San Francisco AIDS Foundation. 

The AIDS crisis has impacted 
lesbian health concerns in several 
ways, according to Miller and 


What are the health concerns 
specific to lesbians? Executive 
director Fran Miller and medical 
director Lisa Capaldini targeted 
lack of access to informed and 
sensitive care as the root prob¬ 
lem. Rather than undergo de¬ 
meaning, homophobic treatment 
by medical providers, many les¬ 
bians defer routine health exami¬ 
nations, causing delayed diagno¬ 
sis and intervention. Some les¬ 
bians have gone without atten¬ 
tion for as long as ten years, said 
Miller, after a negative ex¬ 
perience with the medical sys¬ 
tem. 

Miller noted that average inter¬ 
vals between pap smears, a sim¬ 
ple, routine test for cervical 
cancer, is more than twice as long 
for lesbians as for heterosexual 
women. She explained that, 


though the cervical cancer rate 
for lesbians is not higher than 
that of other women, abnormal¬ 
ities are often not detected until 
later, less treatable stages. 

Many conditions thought of as 
“women’s health issues” are 
related to heterosexual activity, 
such as contraception, pregnancy 
and sexually-transmitted disease, 
Capaldini pointed out. “The 
medical establishment has focus¬ 
ed on reproductive health to the 
detriment of women’s other con¬ 
cerns, like breast cancer and 
osteoporosis,” she said. 

Lesbians are at high risk for 
“environmentally-related” con¬ 
ditions, such as substance abuse, 
stress, and depression. 

With a staff of seven, Lyon- 
Martin Clinic currently serves 


MCC 


(Continued, from previous page) 
contingent is “well received, even 
by people I’ve never seen.” As he 
views it, the church is liked— 
generally respected, considered 
to be reasonably effective in 
delivering on what it says it’s go¬ 
ing to do.” 

Making a final point about 
AIDS, Mitulski said, “God does 
not cause AIDS. God is not 
punishing us. God is suffering 
with AIDS right now. God is the 
source of tremendous healing.” 
What many do not understand, 
he indicated, is that the healing 
they receive in answer to prayer 
may be spiritual rather than 
physical. 

Sandmire spoke of the impact 
MCC has had on mainline 
churches since its founding by 
Rev. Troy D. Perry almost 18 years 
ago. “There is a growing sense in 
other churches that gay people 
are there among them, and it’s 
forcing [the churches] to minister 
to them in a sense of wholeness, 
not exception.” Meanwhile, 
separate gay organizations and 
caucuses have formed in almost 
every denomination. 

“Many of these groups,” 
Sandmire pointed out, “started 
within or were sanctioned and 
supported by MCC because we 
recognized that not everyone 
wanted to leave their home 
church.” Sandmire helped gay 
Mormons start Affirmation while 
he was an elder in MCC. 


He sees this movement as hav¬ 
ing been “very influential in 
mainline churches. I don’t think 
it’s big but it’s vigorous. It’s 
causing the churches to reevalu¬ 
ate not only their theology but 
their programs.” 

Adding to the pressure is 
MCC’s application to join the 
National Council of Churches. 
While it has thus far been re¬ 
jected, the continuing dialogue 
between the organizations is, 
Sandmire said, “having tremen¬ 
dous worldwide influence that’s 
having an effect on the whole 
community.” 

In a statement that might 
sound paradoxical without closer 
examination, Mitulski declared, 
“Our spirituality is a gift that we 
bring to the larger community.” 

Golden Gate MCC (474-4848) 
worships at 48 Belcher Sundays 
at 12:30 and 7 p.m. MCC of San 
Francisco (863-4434) has Sunday 
services at 10r30 a.m. at 150 
Eureka and hopes to reinstate 
Sunday evening worship on a 
weekly basis in the near future. 
They sponsor the AIDS healing 
service on the third Monday of 
each month. 

On Gay Freedom Day MCC of 
San Francisco will have a pre¬ 
parade communion service at 
9:30. Golden Gate MCC will hold 
a 9 a.m. worship service. All of 
the Bay Area MCC’s will worship 
together at 7 p.m. at First Con¬ 
gregational Church, Post and 
Mason. As always, visitors are 
welcome. • 


Capaldini. Most directly affected 
by the medical and social impli¬ 
cations of the emergency are les¬ 
bians who are considering or who 
have had gay male sperm donors, 
and those co-parenting with gay 
men. Lyon-Martin is handling in¬ 
creasing inquiries from such 
women. 

More generally, Capaldini 
said, the epidemic has shifted the 
perception of gay health issues 
back to a contagion-centered ill¬ 
ness mode, rather than a pro¬ 
active health maintenance focus. 
And the pressing needs of the 
AIDS tragedy have further de¬ 
flected attention and resources 
from life-threatening problems 
facing lesbians, such as cancer 
and alcoholism. 

On the positive side, Miller ex¬ 
pressed hope thast a stronger 
alliance can be forged between 
lesbians and gay men in the fight 
for reponsive and empowering 
health care. She recalled an AIDS 
panel where “hearing men de¬ 
scribe their oppressive experi¬ 
ences with the medical system 
took me right back to the early 
days of the women’s health move¬ 
ment. Lesbians have for years 
provided leadership in develop¬ 
ing analysis and politics around 
access to appropriate care, self- 
help, and alternative services. It’s 
crucial that gay men understand 
their self-interest in supporting 
lesbian health organizing.” 

Capaldini noted that the AIDS 
crisis has meant that “more peo¬ 
ple are coming out to health pro¬ 
viders, forcing the medical estab- 



Del and Phyllis in the early years 


lishment to deal with gayness.” 
She stressed the growing oppor¬ 
tunities to raise consciousness 
within the system and to demand 
access to care for all those cur¬ 
rently discriminated against by 
institutionalized medicine. 

Homophobia, combined with 
the historic trivialization of 
women’s health concerns, has left 
an entrenched legacy of ignor¬ 
ance to overcome. “It’s been so 
difficult to get accurate data. 
There’s so much we still don’t 
know about lesbian health is¬ 
sues,” said Capaldini. To fill the 
informational gaps, Lyon-Martin 
participates in a variety of re¬ 
search projects in cooperation 
with, for example, Project 
AWARE, UCSF, and the National 
Lesbian and Gay Health Educa¬ 
tion Foundation. 

With the evident need for 
more research, outreach, and 
services to lesbians, Miller iden¬ 
tified funding as the biggest 
challenge facing the clinic. To en¬ 
sure accessibility to low-income 
women, Lyon-Martin offers slid¬ 
ing scale fees. To cope with 
shrinking public funding and 
tough competition for private 
and foundation monies, Miller 
stresses a lean administrative 
budget, careful long-range plan¬ 
ning, and an expanding fee-for- 
service revenue basis. 

The clinic’s founders chose its 
name to honor the pioneering 
work of Phyllis Lyon and Del 
Martin in forging a feminist 
movement and lesbian communi¬ 
ty. “Though not formally af¬ 
filiated with the clinic, Del and 
Phyllis have always been very sup¬ 
portive of our efforts,” said 
Miller. 

Lyon-Martin maintains an ex¬ 
tensive referral service, offering 
information on counselors, physi¬ 
cal therapists, and a wealth of 
lesban-positive support groups of 
all kinds. Capaldini summed up 
the clinic’s mission this way: “We 
are committed to providing qua¬ 
lity, comprehensive care in a 
relaxed and comfortable environ¬ 
ment. We take the best from the 
Western medical model and com¬ 
bine it with other therapeutic 
disciplines and plain common 
sense for a holistic approach.” 

As Miller put it, “Each day we 
open our doors is a new measure 
of our success.” 

Lyon-Martin Clinic is 
located in the Los Portales 
Medical Building, 2480 Mis¬ 
sion Street. For more infor¬ 
mation, call 641-0220. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 43 











NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Arthur Laze re 


Columnist Tries Clout 
Behind The Scenes 


by Jay Newquist 

Arthur Lazere is better known as a gay activist who is de¬ 
manding that the United Way give more contributions to 
needy gays and lesbians. But he has more political clout in 
a lesser-known role. 

Lazere chairs the rather obscure, but still powerful San 
Francisco Industrial Development Authority, which helps 
create jobs and keep them in the city. 

ed to be heard. 


The agency has the power to 
issue municipal bonds (tax ex¬ 
empt) at a lower interest rate than 
coprporate bonds and it lends 
money to local businesses. 

What’s also important to La¬ 
zere is the forward progess ofthe 
gay and lesbian community to¬ 
ward a complete equality. “I’m 
an up-front gay person, a real per¬ 
son, not a stereotype,” he said 
recently, indicating in his govern¬ 
ment work that sexual orienta¬ 
tion had become secondary to 
matters at hand. 

“It’s just one aspect of our 
lives,” he said. 

The 45-year-old Lazere came to 
San Francisco some ten years ago 
from New York where he said as 
a homosexual he felt like a 
second-class citizen. In his role 
here as a gay city commissioner, 
he said he was helping to create 
gay agendas where they are need- 


Lazere has just been reap¬ 
pointed by Mayor Dianne Feins- 
tein for a second three-year term 
at the Industrial Development 
Authority. 

Also an outspoken board mem¬ 
ber of the United Way of the Bay 
Area, Lazere said he felt his IDA 
post had been useful to reverse 
what he called the charity’s fla¬ 
grant neglect of the gay com¬ 
munity. “What I say carries a lit¬ 
tle more clout because I am a city 
commissioner,” he said. 

A CPA since 1964, Lazere 
works from an office in his apart¬ 
ment. He estimated some two- 
thirds of his clients are gay-owned 
or operated small businesses. 

To stretch in other directions, 
he said he was trying to make the 
transition from accounting and 
politics to journalism. “It’s not 
difficult to do,” he said. “I never 



Arthur Lazere 


(Photo: Rink) 


set out to be a city commissioner. 
It wasn’t a goal I had in mind, 
and I have no political ambitions, 
and no ambition makes one pow¬ 
erful.” 

Lazere’s foray into writing 
started at the B.A.R. and he now 
writes a regular column called 
“On the Job” for Coming Up. 
His subjects are fully researched 
features on gays in the workplace. 

His column also appears in the 
New York Native and a syndicate 
of other gay papers in Seattle, 
San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, and 


Minneapolis. He has already 
learned that work as a lowly 
scribe is rarely lucrative. “I’ve 
got to try to make it pay better,” 
he said, somewhat chagrined. 

Lazere added that a major goal 
was to write features about gay 
people for mainstream (straight) 
newspapers that he said weren’t 
eager to print them. “Otherwise, 
'you’re converting the converted,” 
he said. 

He said he had no formal back¬ 
ground in writing, but he had 
studied composition at Berkeley 


and sought out other journalists 
to critique his work. 

Lazere stressed his private and 
public activities were aimed to 
improve the lot of the homosex¬ 
ual community. “All the things I 
care deeply about are furthering 
the cause of gay and lesbian peo¬ 
ple,” he said. 

Lazere added he felt the goal 
for gays and lesbians was as equal 
partners in society “where you 
happen to be gay and sexual 
orientation is irrelevant. We’ve 
got a long way to go, but San 
Francisco comes as close as any¬ 
place in the world. 

“In the long run God is on our 
side,” he said. 

Lazere said the AIDS epidem¬ 
ic was so devastating that there 
wasn’t anyone who hadn’t watch¬ 
ed a friend or lover die. He felt 
the preoccupation with seeking 
help as well as the grieving proc¬ 
ess had nonetheless “kept our 
energies from other matters.” 

A positive side of the AIDS 
drama, according to Lazere, was 
the progress in the so-called “gay 
donor option” at the United 
Way—that is, gays and lesbians 
who earmark their contributions 
ot gay-related causes. 

He reported that such contri¬ 
butions had increased from 
$68,000 in 1983 to $279,000 last 
year. “This is a pure response to 
the epidemic. No one is out there 
telling them to do it,” he said. 
“People are responding with 
their time, dollars, and love.” 

Lazere said the gay and lesbian 
community had endured some 
setbacks, but he felt it shouldn’t 
dwell on them. “Our own re¬ 
sponse is long term and so posi¬ 
tive it will make us stronger than 
ever before. • 


Todd Dickinson 

Think You Have 
Parking Problems? 

by Allen White 

Todd Dickinson represents the maturing and growth of the 
gay community in San Francisco. Last February, Mayor 
Dianne Feinstein asked him to be a commissioner on the San 
Francisco Parking Authority. He is the youngest gay man ever 
appointed by Feinstein. 

Dickinson said the appointment is proof of further move¬ 
ment by the gay community. The parking authority is respon¬ 
sible for all city-operated off-street parking and is supposed 
to make parking easier in San Francisco. 



Dickinson is part of an admin¬ 
istration that wants to ease the 
parking problems of the city. The 
mayor has stated that she wants 
to initiate ten new parking facili¬ 
ties before she leaves office. The 
Parking Authority has just receiv¬ 
ed an extensive Five-year parking 
plan for the city. Dickinson will 
be one of those people charged 
with putting the plan into action 
and also questioning the conclu¬ 
sions of the report. 

The plan defines ten districts 
with suggestions for easing park¬ 
ing. Castro-Upper Market ranks 
sixth and the Polk-Van Ness area 
ranks tenth in the report. Top¬ 


ping the list as the worst parking 
areas are Inner Clement Street 
and Chinatown. 

The plans call for the construc¬ 
tion of a parking garage some¬ 
where in the Castro area. One 
location under consideration is 
the property adjacent to Cafe 
Flore. Resistance from residents 
in the area forced the plans for 
the building to be changed to ex¬ 
clude parking. 

One interesting part of the 
plan which Dickinson is examin¬ 
ing calls reallocation of colored 
curb area, conversion of parallel 
parking to perpendicular park¬ 
ing and the conversion of meter¬ 


ed stalls to a more compact size. 
The metered stalls will also be 
converted for greater turnover in 
the area. 

Dickinson said a 150 space ga¬ 
rage is planned for the corner of 
Polk and Bush Streets. The build¬ 
ing will also contain space for 
retail business. 

Todd Dickinson believes his 
appointment comes at a time 
when the gay community must 
take a broader view of how it par¬ 
ticipates in city government. He 
also noted that in the past several 
years there have been many times 
when the presence of a gay per¬ 
son on the parking authority 
could have produced a quicker 
and faster solution to problems 
between city government and the 
gay community. 

An example is the confronta¬ 
tion which took place just a few 
years ago when the parking au¬ 
thority wanted to close the lot 
behind Walgreen’s Pharmacy. 
The complaint was that there was 
too much noise and activity in 
the parking area, especially at 
night. The parking authority 
wanted to close the lot at 10 p.m. 
Because they had no first-hand 
knowledge they were unaware of 
the number of businesses rang¬ 
ing from theaters to restaurants 
which were open after 10 p.m. 

Dickinson also points out that 
the city’s only gay community 
center was torn down to make 
room for a city-operated parking 
garage. He believes his presence 
on the authority will make a dif¬ 
ference in the sensitivity given by 


that arm of city government to 
many communities in the city. 

Dickinson, who is an attorney, 
is also the chair of The Alliance, 
a Bay Area gay political action 
committee. In just three years the 
organization has made an impact 
on Northern California politics. 
As with most political action 
committees, their reason for be¬ 
ing is money. They raise money 
which they donate to support 
candidates for public office. They 
have given funds to both Demo¬ 
crat and Republican candidates 


who have taken positions which 
support the rights of gay men 
and lesbians. 

With the Alliance, Dickinson 
notes that the gay community is 
now organized to work for poli¬ 
tical goals on two important 
levels. “We have learned how to 
influence the political structure 
with our votes and we are also do¬ 
ing it with our money.” Dickin¬ 
son firmly commented that the 
gay community is learning how 
to play the game without selling 
out. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 44 









NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Mary Morgan 

Taking Sensitivity 
To Court 

by Tom Horn 

“Were I not as good at what I do as I am, I would be subject 
to a great deal more homophobia,” says Mary Morgan, the first 
homosexual to be appointed as a judge in the State of Califor¬ 
nia. Only those who don’t know Mary would raise their 
eyebrows at such an assessment. But to lawyers and litigants 
alike, Judge Mary Morgan has become one of the most highly 
respected and competent jurists in the state. Having been a 
judge a mere five years, she now teaches fellow judges at the 
Center for Judicial Education’s Judges’ School. 


Mary Morgan was appointed 
to the San Francisco Municipal 
Court bench in August 1981. It 
did not happen by accident. She 
attributes the organization of the 
community by well known gay 
and lesbian lawyers such as 
Roberta Achtenberg, Jerry Berg, 
and Sheldon Andelson as being 
responsible for her appointment 
to the bench. 

Recognizing the importance 
of minority support, she went 
around the state talking to other 
minority bar associations and 
solicited their support. “You 
have to remember at this time 
there were very few lesbian at¬ 
torneys who had been practicing 
five years and were willing to be 
out,” Mary says, reflecting back 
on the situation in the late 

1970’s. 

She remembers the first time 
she met Gov. Jerry Brown. They 
were at a fundraiser in Sheldon 
Andelson’s home in Los Angeles. 
Morgan was concerned about the 
impression she might make as, 
socially, she tends to be shy. “But 
he was just as shy and awkward as 
I was,” she laughs. 

Andelson, being the host that 
he is, arranged to have the gover¬ 
nor moved to a different table 
with each course. Ready to an¬ 
swer every conceivable question 
on judicial philosophy, Morgan 
was somewhat taken back when 
the governor solicited her views 


on foreign affairs. She found him 
very attentive and most in¬ 
terested in her. Some time later 
the call came that she had been 
appointed. 

“Boy, how that changed my 
life,” she says with mischief in her 
eye. Morgan had been one of San 
Francisco’s most successful 
domestic relations attorneys. As 
such, she developed a close and 
personal relationship with her 
clients, many of whom were gay 
fathers and lesbian mothers. The 
fact that she had to give up her 
private cases caused some stress 
with her clients but they were also 
“honored their lawyer had be¬ 
come a judge.” 

Unlike some judges who give 
up their sensitivity and human 
compassion upon donning the 
black robes, Morgan personally 
placed each and every case she 
had with another lawyer. 

What’s her favorite part of the 
job? “I love having lots of people 
in-court and seeing lots of dif¬ 
ferent people and different 
issues.” 

When asked about her most 
satisfying or rewarding case, she 
thought back to when she was in 
criminal court and had a young, 
divorced father before her on 
charges of beating up his former 
wife. He pled guilty and was put 
on probation. Not long thereafter 
he was back before Judge Mor¬ 
gan having been picked up for 



breaking a window at his former 
wife’s home. Being tough on 
domestic violence, the judge was 
going to revoke his probation and 
send him to jail, but she inquired 
further as to what was causing 
this behavior. It was a dispute 
with his ex-wife over visitations of 
their child. 

With the wisdom of Solomon, 
Judge Morgan determined that 
he needed to resolve what was 
causing the problem more than 
he needed to go to jail. She call¬ 
ed a friend who was a civil lawyer 
and continued the criminal case 
until the civil lawyer could refer 
both the husband and his former 
wife to Family Court Counselling 
Services. 

Three months later both hus¬ 
band and wife came back to her 
court to thank her for getting 
them the referral, telling her that 
the Family Court Services had 
made them realize that they had 
to get along for the sake of their 
child whom they both loved dear¬ 
ly. Both husband and wife re¬ 
quested the judge to dismiss the 
charges and she did. 

But not all cases end with such 
good results. She openly admits 
to her frustration with the 


criminal justice system. “Things 
just don’t come out right,” she 
says. All the criminal justice 
system can do.is find a defendant 
guilty and put him or her in jail. 
It does not address the problem. 

Judge Morgan feels that if we 
diverted some of the resources 
that are currently being spent on 
jails to social programs that deal 
with root problems, such as 
pretrial diversion and communi¬ 
ty dispute services, there would 
be less need for jail. She feels that 
many people currently in prison 
have mental problems that are 
only exacerbated in jail but could 
be treated with proper referrals. 

Mary Morgan and Roberta 
Achtenberg, her lover, are the 
parents of a 10-month-old baby 
boy called Benjie. The demands 
of her job make it impossible for 
her to spend as much time with 
him as she would like and Rober¬ 
ta’s situation isn’t much better 
since she is currently working on 
a book. 

But in spite of all these new 
responsibilities, Mary Morgan 
reports with satisfaction, 
“Roberta and I think it’s just the 
nicest thing we’ve ever done.” 
They draw the line on baby sitters 


at night, however. Benjie comes 
along to all political, social and 
judicial functions. 

She is quick to point out that 
she did not have a child, nor will 
she allow her child, to be used as 
a political statement. At the same 
time, she acknowledges the im¬ 
pact Benjie has had on her col¬ 
leagues. “Before Benjie was 
born, I think my colleagues had 
pretty much forgotten about me 
being a lesbian, but it’s difficult 
to ignore when I bring him along 
to the judicial picnic.” 

This is important she feels 
because these are the judges that 
must hear cases involving gay 
fathers and lesbian mothers. She 
feels that they have gotten an in¬ 
sight that they would not have 
otherwise had. 

This year Judge Morgan is the 
Assistant Presiding Judge in 
charge of civil Law and Motion. 
Next year she will be Presiding 
Judge. This means she has gain¬ 
ed the respect of all of the other 
judges who have chosen her to 
lead them for the next year. 

“And that ain’t bad for a 
dyke,” she laughs. • 



Greg Day 


(Photo: Rink) 


Greg Day 

'Get In There 
And Fight Like Hell' 

by Will Snyder 

Three days before the 1978 Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day 
Parade, a tall, wiry man moved to San Francisco, hoping to 
start a new life for himself. Greg Day came to the city to join 
his lover. Three days later, he jumped right into gay activism 
by marching down Market Street with a “No on Briggs” sign. 

The activism hasn’t stopped for Day since that June of eight 
years ago. By 1982, he was running for the Board of Super¬ 
visors. Today, he’s the community realtions director of the 
Larkin Street Youth Center. 

But then, Day is used to this kind of activism and people- 
to-people contact. The 41-year-old activist with the salt-and- 
pepper beard has been behind causes for a long time. 

(Continued on page 51) 

BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 45 













NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Herb Donaldson 


Gay Judge Says The 
Doors Must Open Up 


Gay Rights Attorney Arrested in 1965, 
Now He's a Municipal Court Judge 

by Allen White 


Talking the seat behind the elevated judicial bench, Herb 
Donaldson wearing the black robes of a judge of the San 
Francisco Municipal Court is a statesman in San Francisco’s 
gay community. His appointment by former Gov. Jerry Brown 
to the court bench came on New Year’s Eve, 1982. 



To watch Donaldson preside 
over the daily court proceedings 
makes it hard to imagine the 
revolutionary role he played in an 
event that would later be known as 
the “Stonewall of San Fran¬ 
cisco.” On Jan. 1,1965 at the old 
California Hall on Polk Street, a 
dance was planned. The scene 
became an unbelievable confron¬ 
tation pitting law enforcement 
officers against the gay com¬ 
munity with the media and many 
members of the clergy watching 
in outrage and anger. 

That night, over 500 gay men 
and lesbians attended a dance 
organized by the six gay groups 
in the city. In the street were 
several ministers including Rev. 
Cecil Williams from Glide Mem¬ 
orial Methodist Church and Rev. 
Robert Cromey from Trinity 
Episcopal. Police turned the dark 
night into daylight with glaring 
floodlights. Paddy wagons were 
visibly parked to the side. An 
estimated 60 police officers were 
assigned to the jobs of harrassing 
those attending the event. 

As each person entered the 
building, the ministers stood in 
shock. Everyone who entered was 
photographed and filmed by the 
police before they entered. 

When police demanded to en¬ 


ter they were met by three at¬ 
torneys. One of those lawyers was 
Herb Donaldson. Police were told 
they could check for fire safety. 
They wanted to go further. Don¬ 
aldson and the other lawyers told 
police that unless they had tick¬ 
ets, an invitation, or a search war¬ 
rant, they could not enter. The 
lines had been drawn for the con¬ 
frontation. 

The police then arrested Herb 
Donaldson and the other lawyers. 
Others were -also arrested that 
night. For the first time, many 
San Francisco straights saw how 
gays were treated. 

The ministers were the first to 
express their anger. Then more 
and more people expressed out¬ 
rage. When people spoke out, a 
major barrier of gay oppression 
came crashing down. 

Since that New Year’s night in 
1965, Herb Donaldson gained re¬ 
spect for his legal knowledge, his 
political and business savvy, and 
his personal compassion and sen¬ 
sitivity. On New Year’s Eve 1982, 
Brown, in one of his last acts as 
governor, appointed Donaldson 
to be the first openly gay man to 
a municipal court judgeship in 
Northern California. Since then, 
Donaldson has been elected to 
the office for a full term. 



Judge Donaldson’s daily 
courtroom activities are not 
routine. Every day brings a new 
case. Judge Donaldson must 
look at a different human being 
with special needs and problems. 
With that person comes the 
responsibility for Donaldson to 
be fair, firm, and sensitive. 

The power of a judge can be 
awesome. Without need for ex¬ 
planation a judge may put a per¬ 
son in jail for five days for con¬ 
tempt of court. This is an in¬ 
dication of the power given a 
judge. 

For many people, that degree 
of power is frightening when they 
appear in court. According to 
Donaldson, “Most people have 
absolutely no idea what to do in 
a courtroom.” He added that it is 
satisfying to diffuse the fear of a 
person appearing in his court-;,, 
room. 

Donaldson said he has made a 
special effort to be sensitive and 
compassionate to all people. He 


Law Wilson 

(Continued from page 40) 

He immediately got on the bad 
side of the Police Officers’ 
Association (POA). Not only was 
Law Wilson effective in pro¬ 
secuting cops, but he was also 
giving one-on-one advice to the 
chief of police on matters of con¬ 
cern to the gay and lesbian com¬ 
munity. 

One of his most difficult 
challenges has been his role in 
representing the chief in en¬ 
forcement of the adult theater 
ordinance. One of the main 
targets was the Mitchell Brothers 
who were accused of using their 
adult theater license as a front for 
prostitution. Although Law was 
subjected to a barrage of attacks 
including a San Francisco super¬ 
visor (which made headlines in 
the B.A.R.), he never shirked 
from his job. 

“I never felt a conflict,” Law 
says. “I felt the chief was justi¬ 
fied. I felt it was prostitution.” 

He readily notes that if he were 
in the legislature he would vote to 
change a number of the laws that 
impose criminal penalties for 


admitted he prefers sitting in the 
municipal court rather than a 
more lofty court. “I am a judge 
of the people. I want to work with 
people.” As he sits at City Hall he 
may be hearing a tenant-landlord 
dispute or another case where 
people need the court to settle a 
divisive issue. The judge says it 
gives him great satisfaction to 
work directly with people. 

He is dedicated and respected 
in his position as municipal court 
judge. Lesbian Judge Mary Mor¬ 
gan and Donaldson are the only 
gay judges in Northern Califor¬ 
nia. Neither have forgotten their 
political or social roots in the gay 
community. 

At the same time, Donaldson 
has not lost his objectivity. He 
can spot a homophobe in his 
courtroom immediately, but he 
can also spot a gay person who 
expects special treatment. Don¬ 
aldson detests both positions. 
They are out of order in his court. 

As San Francisco celebrates 


sexual conduct, but, as he points 
out, “For now, I’m sworn to up¬ 
hold the law and that’s what I in¬ 
tend to do.” 

He recalls his most interesting 
encounter with a chief of police 
the night of the Dan White ver¬ 
dict. He was working late at the 
Hall of Justice when word came 
down that the jury had reached 
a verdict. Arriving at the packed 
courtroom in time to hear the 
crowd gasp as the jury returned 
its verdict of voluntary man¬ 
slaughter, he went straight up to 
Chief Charles Gains’ office. 

He recalls the chaos in the 
hallways. Television lights, 
cameras were everywhere. Media 
interviews were being conducted. 
Some people were crying. 

He told the chief, “I know 
we’re going to have problems. I 
hope we have a plan to deal with 
it.” Unfortunately, there was no 
contingency plan and the police 
department was powerless to pre¬ 
vent the rioting and looting that 
went on that night. 

What was Law Wilson doing 
that night? “I stayed at home and 
baked chocolate chip cookies. 
There wasn’t anything I could do 
and it seemed sort of thera- 


Lesbian/Gay Freedom Week, 
Donaldson wished “people 
would take more interest in the 
criminal justice system, not just 
injury duty.” He would like to see 
more gay judges sitting in courts 
in San Francisco, but he doubted 
that the current state administra¬ 
tion would appoint any new gay 
men or lesbians. 

Donaldson said the best way 
for a gay person to get on the 
bench is to get elected to the posi¬ 
tion. He believes it can be done 
because he knows how it is done. 

“People should start prepar¬ 
ing and planning carefully,” he 
said, “and then they should line 
up support. Hard work,” he says, 
“is the final ingredient for a vic¬ 
torious campaign.” 

Judge Herb Donaldson is a 
statesman in the gay movement. 
Twenty-one years after the in¬ 
famous dance at California Hall, 
he is enthusiastically challenging 
gay men and lesbians to walk 
through the same doors. • 

peutic.” 

In spite of the criticism Wilson 
receives in working for the police 
department, he feels it is impor¬ 
tant because of the opportunity 
it gives him to make a contribu¬ 
tion to the gay and lesbian com¬ 
munity. He has direct access to 
the chief of police or any other 
power point within the police 
department. He can accomplish 
much more working behind the 
scenes as part of the law enforce¬ 
ment establishment than he ever 
could walking the streets with a 
banner in his hand (although as 
a lawyer he fully supports the 
First Amendment rights of those 
who choose to demonstrate). 

What’s in the future for Law 
Wilson politically? “Right now, 
I am raising money on the na¬ 
tional level for the Human Rights 
Campaign Fund.” As chair of the 
San Francisco committee of the 
HRCF, Law is in charge of put¬ 
ting on fundraising events. The 
Human Rights Campaign Fund 
has become the most financially 
successful gay political action 
group in the country. “It is im¬ 
portant to branch but at the na¬ 
tional level,” Law maintains. He 
wants to have an impact and an 
impact he definitely has. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 46 













COMMUNITY REP©RT 


SAN FRANCISCO: NO LONGER A SAFE HAVEN 
FOR THE AIDS VIRUS 


In the beginning of the eighties our community 
was invaded by a strange virus with a voracious 
appetite for the immune systems of healthy gay 
men. It spread itself among its unknowing victims 
with frightening speed and freedom, traveling 
freely in an environment where no one recognized 


it, where no one knew how to stop it, where no 
one even knew its name. 

Then AIDS was exposed, but with no vaccine, 
no treatment, and no cure, gay men at risk were 
left with only one real option for controlling its 


spread—stopping its transmission from one per- 
. son to another while science looked for ways to 
exterminate it. In that effort, the San Francisco 
gay community is succeeding. Research now 
proves we’re making headway in preventing AIDS 
from invading the bodies of still others. 


RES, THAT IS COMM 

D THAT WON’T STAND 
LE AN EVIL PLAGUE 
S. WE CAN BE PROUD 
JUL TO ONE ANOTHER 
NG BUILT A COMMUNITY 
[’HE MODEL FOR EFFEC- 

ROSS ^FHE;GNATI0N AND 

Around the world, in san 

FRANCISCO, LET THE AIDS VIRUS 
BE WARY: WE WILL STOP IT FROM 
FURTHER INVADING OUR LIVES. 




















COMMUNll 



FROM HYPERSEX 
TO SAFE SEX. 

WHAT NEXT? 

The freewheeling, do-what-you-want, anything- 
goes San Francisco we’ve known and loved is a 
vastly different place today from what it was back 
in the good old days. All of us have witnessed and 
participated in a social event of tremendous pro¬ 
portions, as gay men have celebrated our new¬ 
found freedom to love whomever we wanted in a 
city that allowed us to show our love for one 
another in ways the world had never seen. 


I SEE MORE OPENNESS 
AND HONESTY IN THE 
GAY COMMUNITY. IT 
MOTIVATES ME TO 
LOOK WITHIN. TO 
LEARN MORE ABOUT 
MYSELF AND GROW." 


Now, as we’re faced with the tragedy of AIDS, 
we’re discovering that love is much more than sex. 
We’re learning about compassion and about ser¬ 
vice to our friends in need. We’re realizing the 
importance of committing ourselves to 100% safe 
sex, 100% of the time—the one commitment that 
will really make a difference to our future. What 
that future holds remains to be seen, but one 
thing is for certain—the same energy and deter¬ 
mination that built our community will continue 
to serve us as we fight to protect ourselves against 
the threat of AIDS. 


AIDS IS DIFFERENT 
FOR EACH ONE OF US. 
AND IN SOME WAYS 
IT'S THE SAME. 

How each of us responds to the AIDS epidemic 
depends on who we are and how AIDS has af¬ 
fected our lives. For some of us, AIDS means con¬ 
fronting death. For others, it’s the sadness of wat¬ 
ching friends die, the loneliness of loss, or the 
frustration of giving up a way of expressing our¬ 
selves. For still others, AIDS is about appreciating 
the little things more, or about a new way to help 
and to care. It’s discovering intimacy, or finding 
out that we’re okay the way we are. For many of 
us, AIDS is about learning how to love. 

For all of us, AIDS is an opportunity to join 
together in stopping it forever. Even if all we do 
in our personal campaign against AIDS is to give 
up having unsafe sex, then we’re making a dif¬ 
ference that counts. Because our lives count. 




IN THE STRUGGLE 
TO END THE 
AIDS EPIDEMIC, 

SAN FRANCISCO 
LEADS THE WORLD. 

No other city has responded like ours: 

• San Francisco has spent millions of dollars for 
AIDS prevention education. 

• The City has earned an international reputa¬ 
tion for outstanding treatment programs 
developed by public servants at public institu¬ 
tions, using public dollars. 

• We have homecare programs that are saving 
taxpayers thousands of dollars, freeing institu¬ 
tional beds for other uses, and improving the 1 
quality of care to persons with AIDS. 

• Our preventive education programs are well 
funded, competently managed, and are pro¬ 
ducing results. 

• Our AIDS service-providing organizations are 
the best in the country, supported by hundreds 
of volunteers who are giving thousands of 
hours of their free time. 

• Most importantly, as individuals, we are prov¬ 
ing our commitment to ending the epidemic 
by caring for our own health and caring for 
one another. The willingness we have shown to 
change our lifestyles, alter our sexual 
practices, and reach out to others is an inspira¬ 
tion to the world. And, for now, it’s the only 
effective way we have of stopping the AIDS 
epidemic. 





















UNITY REPORT 



Percentage of gay men (with two or more 
partners) engaging in anal intercourse 
without condom during previous six 
months * 











Antibody- 




Positive Men 











Negative Men 









June ’84- January ’85- July ’85- 
December ’84 June ’85 December ’85 


•Winklestein, Warren and Wiley, James. "San Francisco Men's Health Study." 
Presented at International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syn¬ 
drome, June 23-25, 1986, Paris, France. 



"AIDS IS NOT SOME¬ 
THING WE CAN DEAL 
WITH JUST BY USING 
OUR HEADS WE NEED 
TO USE OUR HEARTS 
100 ." _ 



CONGRATULATIONS, 
GAY SAN FRANCISCO! 
THE FACTS SHOW 
YOU CARE... 

Significant changes are taking place in our com¬ 
munity, changes that are making a difference to 
our health and well-being. 


FEWER OF US ARE 
HAVING UNSAFE SEX 

San Francisco gay men having unsafe sex 
outside of primary relationship.* (Includes 
men not in relationships) 



Aug.’84 April’85 June’86 

•Based on "Designing an Effective AIDS Prevention Campaign Strategy for San 
Francisco: Results from the Second Probability Sample of an Urban Gay Male 
Community." Research & Decisions Corporation, 19§4. 


IT'S ALL WORKING- 
IN SAN FRANCISCO, 
FEWER GAY AND 
BISEXUAL MEN ARE 
GETTING INFECTED 
WITH AIDS. 

But it’s important to remember that San Fran¬ 
cisco is unique. Infection rates among other risk 
groups or in other cities are not necessarily fall¬ 
ing. That’s why knowing the facts about AIDS 
virus transmission—and how to avoid trans¬ 
mission—is critically important. 



SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED 
DISEASE RATES ARE 
DECUNING IN 
SAN FRANCISCO. 

Number of cases of rectal gonorrhea among 
new male patients seen at City Clinic by 
quarter 1980-1986.* 



1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 


•Based on data provided by the Department of Public Health, City and County 
of San Francisco, May 1986. 


Rate of infection among gay and bisexual 
San Francisco men who were previously 
uninfected.* 



Oct. ’82- Oct. ’83- Oct.-?84- March-’85- 
Oct. ’83 Oct. ’84 March ’85 Oct. ’85 

•Winklestein, Warren and Wiley, James. "San Francisco Men's Health Study.' 
Presented at International Conference on Acquired Immunodeficiency Syn- 

















































































































COMMUNITY REP©RT 


IF YOU ARE NOT 
PARTICIPATING 
IN THE CAMPAIGN TO 
END THE AIDS EPIDEMIC, 
WE NEED YOUR 
SUPPORT... NOW. 

Everybody counts in the effort to stop the AIDS 
epidemic. Yet there is still a small group of gay 
men who are having unsafe sex, putting 
themselves, and others, at unnecessary risk. If you 
are still having unsafe sex—even if only rarely— 
please realize that you are threatening your own 
life, as well as the lives of others, while 
perpetuating this terrible epidemic. 

We are making great progress in our effort to 
bring the epidemic to an end. As statistics show, 
infection rates have declined significantly in San 
Francisco. But they are still too high. Last year, 
2,000 more men became AIDS antibody positive. 
Our job isn’t done. The only acceptable rate of in¬ 
fection is zero. And we can achieve it. Please help. 
Please have only 100% safe sex, 100% of the 
time. It’s the only way we’ll win a 100% victory 
over AIDS. 

The Stop AIDS Project: We’re making a 
difference, because you’re making a 
difference. 

The Stop AIDS Project provides an open forum 
for gay and bisexual men to communicate about 
the AIDS epidemic and its impact on our lives. It 
is based on the idea that we are not powerless in 
the face of the AIDS threat: We can bring an end 
to the epidemic by consciously refraining from ac¬ 
tions which transmit the virus to others. 



Nearly 12,000 men have been contacted in person 
by the project since it began in January 1985. 
Over 4,000 have attended Stop AIDS meetings 
held nightly in the homes of volunteer hosts 
across the City.. These men have explored their 
feelings of fear, anger and grief; learned how 
others are adapting to the changes caused by 
AIDS, and clarified their commitment to ending 
the epidemic. They have been inspired by one 
another and are in the process of empowering 
thousands of others to make positive changes. 

Over 400 volunteers have contributed 5,200 hours 
of time to project organizing and educational ac¬ 
tivities. A goal of the project is to mobilize the 
vast talent and resources within the gay communi¬ 
ty to serve and participate in the cause of com¬ 
munity betterment. 

The Stop AIDS Project has become an interna¬ 
tional model of AIDS prevention. It has inspired 
similar undertakings in more than a dozen other 
cities and countries. It was recently nominated to 
receive the United States Department of Health 
and Human Services top award in the field of 
health promotion and disease prevention. It is ad¬ 
ministered by the Stop AIDS Project, Inc., a San 
Francisco based nonprofit, tax-exempt corpora¬ 
tion, with funding from the City and County of 
San Francisco Department of Public Health and 
donations from nearly 1,200 individuals. 



"DON'T WAIT UNTIL 
SOMEONE YOU LOVE 
DIES TO START CARING 
FOR YOURSELF AND 
GETTING INVOLVED" 



The Stop AIDS Project has no legislative or 
political program. Its purpose is not to modify 
behavior or teach a technique. It does not tell 
people what they should or should not do. It 
seeks to effect change in a different and more 
meaningful way—by supporting people to think 
and act for themselves. 

For more information about Stop AIDS Project, 
call 621-7177. 



The Stop AIDS Project, Inc. is funded in part by the San 
Francisco Department of Public Health and the California 
Department of Health Services. 

Special thanks to: 

Ed Kerry, Text 
Robert Bruce, Design 

Tony Plewik, Andrew Connan, and Bill Folk, Photography 




















NO 

TURNING 
. BACK! 


Shanti: Passing 
From Darkness 
Into Light 

Affection, Not Rejection, Is the Model 

by Carol Landa 

Not many people could hold Jim Geary’s job. Fewer still 
could bring to it such unwavering dedication. 

Jim Geary is the 34-year old director of the Shanti Project, 
a volunteer group that helps people with AIDS, their families 
and friends. Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning inner peace 
and understanding. Its symbol is an eclipse—a passing from 
darkness into light. And that is what Jim Geary is all about. 

“I enjoy working with people 
with life threatening illness— 
people who are dying,” he said. 

“I use the word ‘enjoy’ because 
working with dying people en¬ 
ables me to go past my own fears 
and dying people are often in¬ 
sightful.” 

Geary has all too many oppor¬ 
tunities to “enjoy” his work. 

Shanti has trained 2,500 volun¬ 
teers, provided services to more 
than 1,200 AIDS sufferers and 
2,400 of those close to them since 
its inception in 1974 as a project 
to help any terminally ill person. 

Just as Shanti predates the 
AIDS epidemic, so does Jim 
Geary’s concern for the dying. It 
began with the death of his 
grandmother when he was only 
13. “She was dying of bone can¬ 
cer but she wasn’t told what was 
wrong. I went through the pro¬ 
cess with her and it was a very 
moving experience,” he recalled. 

He later worked with children 
who were victims of lead poison¬ 
ing and leukemia, studied psy¬ 
chology at the University of 
Maryland, and moved to San 
Francisco in 1974 to become a 
nurse’s aide at Marshall Hale 
Hospital. He volunteered im¬ 
mediately for the hospital’s newly 
organized Shanti program, be¬ 
came its first gay staff member in 
1979, and its director in 1982. At 
that time he worked without pay 
pending new funding for the then 
defunct organization. 



pose, the project saves money by 
providing home services rather 
than expensive, extended hospi¬ 
tal care. 

It also serves as a model for 
200 agencies in this country and 
has been used as an example in 
Sweden, Puerto Rico, Denmark, 
and Germany. “We’re not in¬ 
terested in becoming a Mac¬ 
Donald’s,” Geary joked. “We 
porvide volunteer training for 
other organizations but they re¬ 
main autonomous.” 

Geary, though in a deadly seri¬ 
ous business, does maintain a 
sense of humor and perspective. 
He is articulate but favors popu¬ 
lar psychology jargon. He is busi¬ 
ness-like, but dressed casual chic 
for the interview. Sporting a pas¬ 
tel patterned shirt and baggy 
pants, he was comfortable 
enough to take off his shoes and 
sit cross-legged throughout the 
conversation. 



'What people need most is 
friendship. And that's the 
hardest thing to give.' 


—Jim Geary 


In November, 1981, Shanti saw 
its first AIDS case. Because of the 
growing clientele and the fund¬ 
ing considerations, Shanti now 
deals exclusively with AIDS vic¬ 
tims. “I had a sense that the 
AIDS epidemic was going to ex¬ 
plode and public money would 
become available,” Geary said. 

He was right. The project, 
started with a $57,000 grant, now 
has a budget of $1.8 million most¬ 
ly from the city, a paid staff of 44, 
and 360 active volunteers. In ad¬ 
dition to its humanitarian pur- 


“Affection, not rejection, is the 
model,” said Geary, who knows 
that dying people often feel 
shunned. “What people need 
most,” he said, “is friendship. 
And that’s often the hardest 
thing to give.” 

Indeed, only one third of those 
who ask about volunteering ac¬ 
tually go through the training 
process. They must first fill out a 
lengthy essay-oriented applica¬ 
tion form. Shanti screens out 
people with their own spiritual 
agendas or those who are op¬ 



posed to traditional medical 
practices. The next step in the 
process is a personal interview 
which involves some role playing 
and then the actual training 
which lasts 44 hours over two 
weekends. 

“It’s difficult,” said Geary 
“because people must deal with 
unresolved grief, sexual stereo¬ 
types, and the fear of catching 
the disease.” 

People with AIDS often act as 
“training facilitators” in groups 
of four to six, forcing would-be 
volunteers to confront their fears 
directly and immediately. There 


is about a seven percent volun¬ 
tary dropout rate after training. 

Geary notes it can be a prob¬ 
lem if the volunteer becomes too 
involved with the patient. Shan¬ 
ti provides mandatory weekly 
support groups for its volunteers, 
which makes it possible for them 
to do the work. It asks for a six 
month commitment of six hours 
per week but has many volunteers 
with three or more years ex¬ 
perience with Shanti. 

The helpers can choose to 
work with family and friends or 
to provide practical support such 
as grocery shopping or house 


cleaning. The project encourages 
all volunteers to work directly 
with AIDS patients. They have to 
sit a death watch, hold a person’s 
hand, and say goodbye at the end. 
In spite of such demands, Gerary 
does not see Shanti volunteers as 
extraordinary people. “They’re 
just wiling to get in touch with 
their emotions and be authen¬ 
tic,” he said. 

Geary has some controversial 
ideas of his own. He thinks peo¬ 
ple with AIDS should have sex 
because the intimacy can be heal¬ 
ing. He has had sexual relations 
with AIDS sufferers. “But it 
must be safe,” he adds. 

He also thinks gay bathhouses 
should stay open. “It’s not the 
place, but what you do there. Peo¬ 
ple should have the right to gath¬ 
er and the bathhouse is a fertile 
place for education. You don’t 
want to lose the opportunity to 
work with someone who can be 
educated as to appropriate sexual 
practices.” 

Though he still runs to the 
doctor with a swollen gland or a 
wart, he has not been tested for 
HTLV-3 antibody. “I’ve already 
made the necessary changes in 
lifestyle and there’s nothing the 
test has to offer me personally,” 
he said. 

Geary is adamant in stating 
that safe sexual practices are the 
responsibility of the whole com¬ 
munity and not just its homosex¬ 
ual component. “We must focus 
on sexual activity and not just 
sexual orientation,” he said. 

Said Geary, “We break down 
stereotypes and stress the human 
side. The greatest moment is 
when you are not seeing the 
AIDS, you are seeing the person. 
That’s our goal and that’s what 
Shanti is all about,” he said. • 


Greg Day 

(Continued, from page 45) 

“I have a degree in cultural an¬ 
thropology with an emphasis on 
black studies,” said Day. “I got 
involved in civil rights causes in 
the South a long time ago and 
even had a chance to march with 
Martin Luther King, Jr.” 

Today, he’s marching with the 
kids of Larkin Street Youth Cen¬ 
ter, the kids—who, because of 
sexual orientation or abusive 
home situations—are kids with¬ 
out homes. Day thinks some of 
these kids are tomorrow’s 
leaders. 

“Young people are our fu¬ 
ture,” he said, whether they are 
gay men, lesbians, or straight. 
They are our future adults. They 
will be in positions of power and 
will have a chance to change at¬ 
titudes. It is important to help 
them now when they need us the 
most.” 

According to Day, the work of 
the gay and lesbian community 
with the Larkin Street kids is just 
another example of a stereotype 
being torn to shreds. 

“There has been a great lie 
told about us,” said Day. “That 
lie is that we can’t be trusted 
around children. But it is a lie 
because of all of us who are teach¬ 
ers and doctors and nurses and 
social workers, among other 
things.” 

The Larkin Street Youth Cen¬ 
ter has become a big part of 


Day’s life for some time. He said 
he first noticed the problems of 
youth when he was running for 
supervisor in 1982. Soon, he 
found himself volunteering his 
time for various youth groups 
around the city. Finally, he found 
himself lobbying for a new organ¬ 
ization, the Larkin Street Youth 
Center. 

It finally happened in Febru¬ 
ary, 1984,” said Day. “The may¬ 
or [Mayor Dianne Feinstein] real¬ 
ly embarrassed me at the ribbon¬ 
cutting ceremony. She referred to 
me as a ‘convincing and pleasant 
lobbyist.’ I really got red in the 
face.” 

There will have to be a new 
ribbon-cutting ceremony in the 
future. The Larkin facility suf¬ 
fered through a $30,000 fire 
recently. A fundraising drive has 
netted over $30,000, according to 
Day, who emphasized that at 
least $50,000 will be needed to 
get either remodeling for the 
facility or a new, expanded fa¬ 
cility. 

Day has been heartened by the 
support of the gay and lesbian 
community for Larkin’s rebuild¬ 
ing project. He thinks support of 
lesbians and gays for the better¬ 
ment of the community is no¬ 
thing new, however. 

“We have a tradition of stew¬ 
ardship in the gay and lesbian 
community,” said Day. “Even 
Walt Whitman nursed soldiers 
during the Civil War. We’ve made 
our commitments silently, but 

BAY AREA REPORTER 


now is the time to make these 
commitments more openly. 

“We have a lot of expertise to 
offer society in terms of child¬ 
care, the rearing of a child, 
employment, etc. We have a 
strength and knowledge to share, 
but we’re much too introverted. 
We don’t realize our power and 
gifts.” 

Realizing one’s power and 
gifts is part of Days’s philosophy 
of life, a philosophy which em¬ 
phasizes a positive attitude. He 
thinks having this positive atti¬ 
tude wil be the strength of a time 
when AIDS looms over the com¬ 
munity. 

’ “We can use this terrible crisis 
of AIDS to move ahead on all 
fronts,” said Day. “This is where 
getting involved in the communi¬ 
ty makes all the difference in the 
world. We just have to start get¬ 
ting involved in community work 
because we can’t tell how long we 
have. We have to say, ‘Just do it, 
baby.’ 

“One thing which always 
seems to be true with gay and les¬ 
bian people is that we have a pas¬ 
sion for life,” Day added. “We’re 
great in developing careers. We 
love to have a party and we love 
to fight for the right causes. Well, 

I think that we have to get right 
back in there, fight like hell, and 
party like hell.” 

Undoubtedly, Greg Day would 
remember that it only took him 
three days in San Francisco to 
start practicing that philosophy. 

• 

JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 51 















(Photo: R. Pruzan) . 



NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Size Queens of Another Sort 


Those With Girth 
Find Plenty of Mirth 


by Will Snyder 

The disco beat was intense, pounding, never-ending. “Harmony, harmony, 
you and me, that’s harmony,” belted out singer Suzy Lane. 

Cigarette smoke slowly worked its way up to the ceiling, creating a haze 
against the brightly-colored Tiffany lamps in the corner of the bar. Young men 
in their tight 501’s and Reeboks and Izods leaned against walls, staring hungrily 
at each other. It was Saturday night and Suzy Lane was prodding them to reach 
out for a little harmony. 

Harvey worked his way to the back of the bar, saw the buttons fly all around 
and dreamed of conquest and then love and then conquest and then love. This 
was his kind of crowd. He took a deep breath, strove mightily to readjust his 
shirt so his weight didn’t look too heavy and then began The Hunt. 



He sidled up next to a young 
man with raven-colored hair, 
dressed in a pink and white 
pinstripe shirt and faded Levis. 
Harvey always felt so out of 
place in these kinds of places, 
but he felt he had to try to meet 
people. 


He stole a glance at the lad. 
No response. Harvey’s eyes wan¬ 
dered around the room until 
they came back to Roger Raven. 
He stole another glance at the 
lad. Still no response. 

He gave his eyes another tour 
of the room. He saw someone 


else shaking hands with another 
guy. That was it, he thought to 
himself. He looked at Roger 
again and didn’t take his eyes off 
him. Finally, Roger turned to 
Harvey, who stumbled with his 
words. 

“Er, nice weather we’re hav¬ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 52 


ing tonight, huh?” 

Roger heaved a deep sigh and 
said with a sneer, “Don’t waste 
your time.” 

Roger tugged up his 501 ’s 
and took up residence in the op¬ 
posite corner of the room. 

SUPER CHUBBIES 

DeWayne Kammerdiener 
hasn’t always been fat. There 
were times, he said, when he was 
a slim young thing. 

“I used to have the perfect 
physique,” he says with only a 
touch of nostalgia in his soft, 
lyrical Texas drawl. “I used to 
have a 27-inch waist. 

“But I also know,” he added, 
“that I had been fighting my 
weight all of my life. I fought and 
fought and fought. Finally, I 
realized I could be happy and 
comfortable the way I am now.” 

The way DeWayne is now is as 
a “chubbette.” That term 
describes a person who is usual¬ 
ly between 200-280 pounds. 
“Chubbette” is one of three 
categories Girth and Mirth—the 
club DeWayne presides over as 
president—uses to describe dif¬ 
ferent levels of heavy-set gay and 
bisexual men who make up the 


a lot of gorgeous young guys 
who come to the club who are 
chubby chasers. 

“Chubbies don’t have to have 
anyone they don’t want.” 

Tony pointed to one young 
man who had just joined the 
club a short time ago. This 
fellow, according to DiGenova, is 
a perfect example of how Girth 
and Mirth can really put a lot 
more mirth in the life of some¬ 
one with girth. 

“He’s only 23,” said Tony, 
“but here’s a young man who 
had—for all practical purposes- 
—given up on himself because 
life seemed so futile and lonely. 
But when he saw an ad for us in 
B.A.R., he paid his dues before 
he even came to a meeting; he 
was so eager to meet people. 

“Now, he’s the belle of the 
party,” Tony added with a 
chuckle. “He has every chaser 
and even a few chubbies chasing 
after him.” 

TONS OF MEN 

Kammerdiener could empa¬ 
thize with “LaBelle.” He came 
into Girth and Mirth after a 
tragedy in his life. His associa¬ 
tion with the group has brought 


4 1 had been fighting my weight all my life. I 
fought and fought. Finally, I realized I could be 
happy and comfortable the way I am now.’ 


membership. The other levels 
are “chubby” (280-380 pounds) 
and “super-chubby” (380 
pounds and above). 

Girth and Mirth is ten years 
old this year. For a decade, the 
club—with different types of 
chapters all over the United 
States—has served as an alter¬ 
native social organization for 
men such as DeWayne and for 
that matter, Harvey. “Harvey” is 
fictional as far as this story goes, 
but there are many people like 
him. “Harvey” may seem like a 
nuisance to many people in bars, 
but members of Girth and Mirth 
say “Harvey” has every bit the 
same interests and desires as his 
slimmer fellow bar patrons. 

“People think that because 
some people are fat, they just 
‘settle’ for people their own 
weight, or buy a hustler,” said 
Kammerdiener. “That isn’t the 
case at all.” 

There is a reason for that, ac¬ 
cording to Kammerdiener and 
another Girth and Mirther, Tony 
DiGenova. The latter is, in the 
jargon of big men organizations, 
a “chubby chaser.” 

“Opposites do attract, there’s 
no doubt about that,” said De¬ 
Wayne. “No two chasers are 
alike. Some chasers want their 
lovers to get heavy. Some chub¬ 
bies find out they are not out¬ 
casts. They can get anything 
they want.” 

DiGenova, who said he had 
his first “chubby-chasing” ex¬ 
perience when he was 32 years 
old, agreed that chubbies really 
do have an option that bars do 
not offer. That option is Girth 
and Mirth. 

“Some feel that the chubby 
will only go to the hustler,” said 
Tony, “but with Girth and Mirth, 
they have an option. What they 
really find out is that there are 


him a lot of good feeling. 

“I had a lover for a long 
time,” he said, “and then I lost 
him in a car accident. I just 
didn’t feel like meeting people 
or doing anything for a long 
time. 

“One year later,” he added, 
“I had my first experience with 
a chubby club. I was living in 
Texas at the time. I met a guy 
from Philly who was in the New 
York chapter. He made me feel 
good about my body. 

“He helped me get over the 
loss of Richard and get on with 
my life.” 

From that experience, De¬ 
Wayne plunged into the hard 
work that makes any organiza¬ 
tion a success. He has been 
president for one year and is 
running unopposed for re-elec¬ 
tion. During that time, he has 
tried to steer the organization 
from internal political argu¬ 
ments back to what he considers 
the main goal of the club. 

“We’re a social organization,” 
he said. “We want to have 
friends and we want to have 
fun.” 

That prerequisite means host¬ 
ing parties and Girth and Mirth 
loves its parties. Recently, the 
organization hosted a national 
big men’s convention at the 
Grosvenor Hotel. A highly suc¬ 
cessful pool party was held over 
the Memorial Day weekend. In 
August, another convention will 
be held in the Bay Area. 

That convention will draw 
tons of men into town. The 
organization has similar chap¬ 
ters throughout the nation with 
strong chapters in Los Angeles, 
Chicago, Washington, and New 
York. All of the men would be 
quick to echo the words of Tony 
DiGenova. 

(Continued on next page) 







(Photo: Rink) 



NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 



(Continued from previous pageI 

Maybe the Izod crowd would 
disagree with Tony’s words, but 
G&Mers don’t care. 

“When a chaser sees a chub¬ 
by he likes, he can’t get his eyes 
off of him,” says Tony. “His eyes 
will attract to the chubby’s eyes 
and will follow him down the 
street.” 

In other words, people are 
atracted to people. It’s not 
always 501 to 501. Sometimes, it 
501 to Omar the Tentmaker. 

So much obviously depends 
on the personality,” said Kam- 
merdiener, “but my experience 
has been that a chaser wants 
someone who is not ahsamed of 
his weight, or his body, someone 
who is pleased with his body.” 

Harvey had had enough. It 
was 2 a.m. He was tired and a lit¬ 
tle tipsy. He always considered 
himself a sensitive man and a 
kind man. He could understand 
people who weren’t attracted to 
him, but the hostility hurt. 

He unlocked the door to his 
car and climbed in. When he 


flipped on the radio, he got a 
disco song. He forgot that he 
had put his radio dial on that 
station to psyche himself for his 
big night. 

He angrily flipped the dial to 
nowhere in particular. He stum¬ 
bled across Mickey Gilley: 


‘Now he’s the belle 
of the party. He has 
every chaser and even 
a few chubbies chasing 
after him.’ 


“Looking for love in all the 
wrong places. Looking for love 
in too many faces.” 

Indeed. 

But no more, he thought. He 
was the first to admit that he 
wasn’t the stereotypical matinee 
idol. But he was himself 

And, that’s all that really 
counted. • 


'Parents Come Out' 
To Be Broadcast 


The story of eight parents facing the challenge of accept¬ 
ing their gay and lesbian children will be told on Friday, June 
27 at 8:30 p.m. when KQED/Channel 9 broadcasts Parents 
Come Out. 



The program takes the viewer 
from the parents’ earliest days 
after “finding out,” through 
“the hardest part”—facing the 
lonely struggle to understand, to 
deal with guilt and shame—and 
ultimately to the point of per¬ 
sonal and familial reconciliation, 
and for some, acceptance. 

Psychologists Aaron Cooper 
and Pat Blumenthal produced 
the show locally for Parents and 
Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P- 
FLAG), a self-help group run by 
parents with branches through¬ 
out the country. Director Robert 
Tat supervised the technical pro¬ 
duction at the Bay Area Video 
Coalition, with funds from the 
Vanguard Public Foundation and 
the Chicago Resource Center. 

“I, too, had to come out of the 


closet,” acknowledges one moth¬ 
er, looking back to her own evolu¬ 
tion in learning to accept her 
son’s homosexuality. 

The parents talk about shame, 
guilt, and years of isolation while 
they gradually educated them¬ 
selves, met other gay people, and 
began to replace age-old stereo¬ 
types with accurate information. 

“When my daughter first 
brought her lover to the house, l 
was very uncomfortable,” states 
one parent. “But I knew I wanted 
her to come more often. That was 
the only way. And when parents 
say to me, ‘I’m so uncomfortable 
walking down Castro Street,’ I say 
‘Do it more often!’” 

KQED-TV is the First station to 
purchase the program for local 


broadcast. Judging by the strong 
interest expressed by other sta¬ 
tions and preview audiences, 
Parents Come Out is likely to be 
seen throughout the country by 
the end of the year. 

“The publicity surrounding 
AIDS has raised everyone’s 
awareness of homosexuality,” 
observes Blumenthal, a therapist 
in private practice in Palo Alto. 


Jim Foster 

(Continued from page 41) 

tion. They went to the convention 
with the intent of founding a gay 
caucus. He chuckles as he recalls 
that they didn’t have enough 
delegates to form the caucus so 
the original gay caucus was most¬ 
ly straight. 

By the McGovern Presidental 
Campaign in 1972 the club had 
grown to 50 or 60 members. He 
recalled being ignored by the of¬ 
ficial McGovern cmapaign as 
well as the Democratic Central 
Committee. “The only time they 
talked to us was when they came 
to ask why we were not active in 
supporting Ron Pelosi for State 
Senator against Republican 
Milton Marks. I told them that 
Milton deals with the gay issue 
and Ron doesn’t” 

But knowing that a Demo¬ 
cratic political club is expected to 
toe the line, he invited them to 
leave some Pelosi signs. They did 
and Jim promptly put them into 
the closet. 

His most dramatic political ex¬ 
perience, however, was as the 
Northern California campaign 
manager for Sen. Edward Ken¬ 
nedy in 1980. He had met Ken¬ 
nedy in 1974 while executive 
director of the Whitman- 
Radcliffe Foundation. He was in¬ 
troduced by San Francisco’s cur¬ 
rent Deputy Mayor, Hadley Roff, 
who was Kennedy’s press secre¬ 
tary at the time. 

“I wanted his support for drug 
money from the National In¬ 
stitute of Health and for our 
advertising campaign.” He 
recalls that Kennedy was helpful 


“People with gay sons are worry¬ 
ing about issues of health, and 
the whole question of having a 
gay family member. We think this 
program is particularly timely.” 

The program’s creators hope 
that Parents Come Out will be 
used by counselors, social service 
agencies, schools and libraries to 
raise awareness of an important 
social issue. 


always but concerned at first 
about being too upfront. 

They met again in 1979 at a 
party given by San Franciscan 
Adolph Schuman. “I told him we 
had to get rid of Carter.” Jim also 
knew that in order to win the 
California primary, at least 
750,000 votes had to be taken out 
of Northern California. “No one 
else seemed to be doing the job 
so it just fell on me,” Jim recalls. 

And a spectacular job he did. 
Although there was no money for 
television or for direct mail, 
through a classic grass roots cam¬ 
paign and door-to-door canvass¬ 
ing, Kennedy carried California 
by 60 percent and by an even 
greater margin up here. 

Jim Foster has served two 
mayors, being appointed by May¬ 
or George Moscone to the 
Special Committee on Commis¬ 
sions and by Mayor Dianne 
Feinstein to the Elections Com¬ 
mission. He worked in the 
Carter/Mondale Campaign in 
1980. 

Foster’s depth of work in the 
political and social fields as they 
relate to the gay movement 
makes him eminently qualified to 
undertake his most challenging 
task thus far, that of San Fran¬ 
cisco’s Health Commission, in 
the midst of the AIDS epidemic. 

“I lobbied Dianne hard for the 
job,” Foster says referring to 
Mayor Feinstein. 

Although not certain of the 
role he would play, “I just wanted 
to be where I could make a dif¬ 
ference.” 

Make a difference, Jim Foster 
has. He was instrumental in get¬ 
ting $400,000 from the state for 
substance abuse treatment, with¬ 
out which 18th Street Services 


They also hope that gay men 
and women will rent or purchase 
this program to show to their own 
families. 

To obtain a copy of Parents 
Come Out, contact P-FLAG, Post 
Office Box 640223, San Fran¬ 
cisco, CA 94164, or ask for it at 
your neighborhood video store. 

• 


might not be alive. He serves on 
the legislative budget task force, 
having been appointed by Assem¬ 
blyman John Vasconcellos and 
having been charged with the 
task of studying and reacting to 
the governor’s budget on AIDS 
funding. 

He feels that the Health Com¬ 
mission is responding magnifi¬ 
cently to the AIDS epidemic. 
“There is no entity in the coun¬ 
try as responsive to the problem 
as the San Francisco Health 
Commission.” Foster says that 
the creation of the Health Com¬ 
mission subsequent to the 
passage of Prop. C [1984] has 
allowed the Health Department 
to provide quicker and more di¬ 
rect access for minorities. He 
feels that bureaucracy has been 
simplified and the efficiency in¬ 
creased. 

At the same time, he candidly 
admits to his sense of frustration 
as “I watched the dismantling of 
the public health system by the 
Reagan and Deukmejian admin¬ 
istrations.” 

For a lifetime of public service, 
Jim Foster has received the Cer¬ 
tificate of public service, Jim Fos¬ 
ter has received the Certificate of 
Honor from the California State 
Senate and State Assembly. He 
was awarded a Certificate of Mer¬ 
it by the City and County of San 
Francisco and a Certificate of 
Honor by the City of Los Angeles. 
In 1982, Alice celebrated its 10th 
anniversary, boasting a member¬ 
ship of over 500. The event was 
dedicated to Jim. 

We’ve come a long way since 
those early days when you got ar¬ 
rested for dancing with your lov¬ 
er. Much of that progress can be 
attributed to Jim Foster. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 53 














SUMMERBOOKS 

Barbara Grier 

The Force Behind Naiad Press 


by Gerald Lebonati 

^ ^ y work is my life,” says Barbara Grier, owner and nur- 

IWI turing force behind Naiad Press, the largest and oldest 
li ML lesbian publishing house in the world. Such a position 
may seem formidable to those who remember when being gay meant 
remaining on the lower rungs of the political ladder and searching 
like crazy to find anything to read on gay issues. 

“I wanted a woman to be able to walk into any bookstore and find 
the material that she needed to make her feel good about herself. 
I have spent my entire life determined to bring people to books and 
books to people” 


Her calm, casual manner 
belies 40 years of involvement in 
activism. 

“I’ve lived through all of the 
isms’ in the movement,” she 
says matter-of-factly, “when gay 
men and lesbians were friendly 
and then, again, when they 
wouldn’t even stay on the same 
side of the street with each oth¬ 
er.” She is working toward a time 
when the community will unify 
and become a vital force for 
equality. “I become angry when 
there is in-fighting. The power 
structure is so minimal, why 
spread it around?” 

Under Grier’s guidance, 
Naiad press has become a re¬ 
spected institution within the 
publishing world. Their most re¬ 
cent cause for celebration was 
the release of the movie Desert 
Hearts based on the Naiad book, 
Desert of the Heart, by close 
friend Jane Rule. 

“This is going to have a tre¬ 
mendous impact on us. The tie 
to lesbian publishing is very im¬ 
portant. Sam Goldwyn bought 
the film when it was being shown 
at the festivals and he is going 
to put it in every major city in 
the United States. More people 
will be exposed to a positive les¬ 
bian story than ever before.” 

It would be difficult to deny 
the positive contributions Bar¬ 
bara Grier has made to the 
movement, yet the spectre of the 
Lesbian Nuns controversy still 
remains. It has been more than 
a year since she sold the pub¬ 
lishing rights to Forum 
Magazine and some women are 
still upset by the move. 

“I made a mistake,” Grier 
states frankly and without hesi¬ 
tation. “We didn’t even know 
that Forum was published by 
Penthouse.” Since then, Lesbian 
Nuns has been translated into al¬ 
most every major language 
around the world, has made its 
way into the Vatican, and has 
been hailed as a startling inter¬ 
national success. 

It is ironic that Naiad, an ex¬ 
clusively gay establishment, is 
located in a small community 
outside of Tallahassee, Florida. 
One can only imagine how the 
local lesbians are seen in the 
eyes of the 39,000 rural resi¬ 
dents. 

“Very well, actually,” Barbara 
chuckles. “But there’s a reason. 
I have a formula which is really 
applicable to anyone. And it is 
that no one can be oppressed if 
you don’t allow yourself to be. 
We’re completely open. I don’t 
mean being aggressive about it 
because no matter how uncloset¬ 
ed you are, there are levels with¬ 
in closets. It doesn’t have 
anything to do with running up 
to little old ladies and saying 
(her voice deepends) I am a les¬ 
bian” She then refers to her 
spouse of many years, Donna J. 
McBride, “We behave as if we 


are a couple. Whatever they call 
that is up to them. People will 
come up to me and say, ‘What 
kind of publishing do you do?’ 
and I say, ‘Well, we publish 
novels and biographies, et 
cetera.’ And if they ask further, 
I smile and say, ‘We are the 
oldest and largest lesbian 
publishing house in the world.’ 
What can they say to that? 

“One of the other reasons 
that we’re treated so well is that 
we’re good neighbors. We run all 
of our postal business through 
the local post office. So we pro¬ 
bably support two postal work¬ 
ers. If you treat people well, they 
will respond. They don’t see us 
as a political threat,” she laughs. 
“We look terribly respectable.” 

Mainstream publishing hous¬ 
es produce their share of gay 
literature. In fact, many gay 
blockbusters have been produc¬ 
ed by hon-gay companies whose 
primary concern is dollar return 
rather than a desire for political 
leveling. 

“Basically, its a case of gross 
indifference,” Grier said. “They 
don’t really care. Though rife 
with lesbian and gay literature, 
they want to target the mass 
markets. No way on earth can we 
say that gays and lesbians make 
up the bulk of the population. 
Even the most homophobic esti¬ 
mates now put us at about 10 
percent. 

“And mainstream houses 
don’t have the ability to reach 
gay audiences. We get mail with 
comments like, ‘Thank God, I’ve 
found you.’ I doubt that St. Mar¬ 
tin’s ever receives mail like that. 
We’re a jug of water in a 
desert—an oasis.” 

But like everything else, 
publishing is a business in which 
one has to do what is necessary 
to survive. 

“We turn down books now 
that we would have loved to 
publish when we began. We pro¬ 
duce only ten books a year. 
Several other publishing com¬ 
panies started out at the same 
time we did, but they’re gone.” 

Since coming out in 1946 at 
the age of 13, Barbara Grier has 
faced life with a positive outlook. 
She remembers times when 
books were being burned and 
hints that such a time could easi¬ 
ly repeat itself—which is, per¬ 
haps, why she is so staunchly op¬ 
posed to censorship in any form. 
But she sees these conservative 
swings as historical fluctuations 
and visualizes a future where the 
equality of all people is self- 
evident. 

“I’m happy about being a les¬ 
bian,” Grier says confidently. 
“It’s a privilege and an honor.” 

• 

Editor’s note: Gerald 
Lebonati is a freelance writ¬ 
er and the author of Tropic 
Lights . 


Church Documents on 
Homosexuality Published 

New Ways Ministry, a national Catholic Gay ministry 
group located near Washington, D.C., announced here to¬ 
day the publication of Homosexuality and the 
Magisterium, a collection of Vatican and U.S. official 
Catholic teachings on homosexuality which have been 
issued by church authorities since 1975. 

The anthology, the first of its kind ever published, contains some 
20 complete or excerpted official Catholic statements, pastoral let¬ 
ters, plans for ministry and other documentation from Roman con¬ 
gregations, the U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in¬ 
dividual cardinals, archbishops and bishops as well as individual 
diocesan organizations. 


Among contributors to Homo¬ 
sexuality and the Magisterium 
are the Vatican’s Congregations 
for the Doctrine of the Faith and 
Catholic Education, the U nited 
States Catholic Conference, the 
Archdiocese of Baltimore, the 
Washington State Catholic Con¬ 
ference, the Archdiocese of San 
Francisco and the Catholic 
hierarchy of Massachusetts. 

According to John Gallagher, 
New Ways Ministry’s director of 
communications and editor of 
the book, one purpose of the col¬ 
lection is “to help Catholics 
realize that the church’s teaching 
on homosexuality goes far 
beyond the single issue of 
homogenital or same sex expres¬ 


sions.’’ According to Gallagher, 
“too many Catholics including 
some church authorities collapse 
all church teaching on homo¬ 
sexuality to one narrow issue 
while paying only lip service to 
other equally important moral 
issues of social justice for 
homosexual citizens and church 
members.” 

Gallagher commented that 
church teaching on the moral evil 
of discrimination and the in¬ 
creasing evidence of physical and 
psychological violence against 
homosexual persons especially in 
light of the recent AIDS crisis 
and the church’s teachings on 
pastoral care are serious parts of 
official church teachings “which 


unfortunately are often ignored,” 
when the topic is discussed. 

“This ambiguous and one¬ 
sided approach,” he said, 
“although completely orthodox 
in one way, is a more serious and 
harmful distortion of church 
teaching on homosexuality.” 
Gallagher also said he hoped the 
new book will help people 
broaden their appreciation of 
some of the very helpful and 
positive things that the church 
says on homosexual people and 
help some church leaders get 
beyond their “fixation on 
homogenital behaviors.” 

He also pointed to a statement 
in the book by Richmond’s 
Bishop Walter Sullivan who 
wrote that pastoral care is 
especially urgent “in those cases 
where the teaching of the church 
has itself been presented in such 
a way that it has been the source 
or occasion of some of the pain 
and alienation that many homo¬ 
sexual Catholics experience to¬ 
day.” 

Further information on the 
new work can be obtained from 
the organization at 4012 29th St., 
Mt. Rainier, Maryland, 20712, 
(301) 277-5674. Individual 
copies are priced at $9.95 plus $1 
for postage and handling. ■ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 54 







Fingerprints That Can’t Be Denied 


NO 

TURNING 
. BACK! 



An example of Michael A. Rosen's work in Sexual Magic: The SM Photographs. 


Confronting S/M Sex 

Sexual Magic: The S/M Photographs 

by Michael A. Rosen 

Shaynew Press (P.O. Box 11719, San Francisco, CA 94101) 
$23 (postpaid) 
by Paul Reed 


Entertainment for a Master 

by John Preston 
Alyson Publications, $7.95 

by Mark I. Chester 

C reating art is like leaving 
telltale signs of a crime. 
The artist leaves behind 
fingerprints that can’t be denied. 
Individual, particular, and 
unique, they reveal the personal: 
inner thoughts and secrets. In do¬ 
ing so, artists stand alone as a 
group that is not only allowed to 
but expected to publicly reveal 
themselves. Entertainment for a 
Master is undoubtedly revealing. 

Preston holds a unique place 
in the history of literature by ho¬ 
mosexual men. Never before has 
a homosexual man written prose 
so openly, under his own name, 
about the sexual realities and fan¬ 
tasies of his homoeroticism. A 
wild blend of pornography, sweet 
remembrance, and philosophy, 
Preston takes us even further in 
his literary revelation of his 
sadomasochism than he did in 
Once I Had a Master. That series 
of short stories, bound together 
by themes of sexual exploration 
and growth (and successful sales), 
has been followed by a work with 
high goals, only some of which 
have been reached. 

Entertainment for a Master is 
a public sharing about a dinner 
party put together by Preston for 
three of his friends, gathered to 
attend a book convention in San 
Francisco. Told chronologically, 
Preston describes the action 
from the appearance of an ad 
seeking “well built and attractive 
[men], willing and able to per¬ 
form servile tasks and endure 
moderate to heavy pain” to his 
sexual interviews of prospective 
slaves, and his elaborate prepara¬ 
tions for the party. 


Preston is at his best in his 
descriptions of the intricacies of 
sexual interactions and the 
underlying psychological storms 
and potentialities that make up 
the true essence of eros. His 
writing is smooth, taut, and 
clean—filled with descriptions of 
sadomasochistic acts that ring 
with a skilled simplicity. There is 
enough here to jackoff to: tweak¬ 
ed nipples, beautiful bodies, bon¬ 
dage, beaten asses and backs, 
twisted balls, jerking and spilling 
cocks, and sexual abandon. 
Those inexperienced in the S/M 
subculture may find the jackoff 
physical. More knowledgeable 
men may find the jackoff more 
intellectual. 

But Preston understands that 
only part of eros is the sex act 
itself, the description of physical 
release. An equally important 
part of eros usually ignored or 
misunderstood by assembly line 
photographers, involves the emo¬ 
tional connections and small 
moments that bind people to¬ 
gether when they have shared 
sexual ecstasy. 

Martin was crying, I had 
reached inside someplace 
and found something that 
he didn’t want to give up but 
he realized it was too late. 

He was sitting on my lap, 
suddenly a little boy and not 
the aggressive military male 
he had presented himself as. 

He was naked. I had some¬ 
how gotten my clothes on. I 
was rubbing his back. I held 
him tightly. It was so late; 
why wasn’t I tired? But I 
don’t remember that. I only 
remember his head on my 


shoulder and the thought 
that I never wanted to be 
anywhere else, ever. 

In doing so, Preston expands 
the range of homoerotic porno¬ 
graphy, revealing his heart as 
much as his dick. 

At the same time Preston 
breaks down stereotypical images 
of sadomasochism and the peo¬ 
ple who do it. Intensity is match¬ 
ed by tenderness. Pain is match¬ 
ed by pleasure. Solemnity is 
matched by laughter. The image 
of the sadistic slobbering pervert 
brute is crushed by the slender 
strength and elegance of Pres¬ 
ton’s master. 

People who are appalled 
by intense sexuality—the 
kind that comes clothed in 
leather and chains and 
wears whips and handcuffs 
—usually are so agitated by 
it that they make many false 
assumptions. The worst is 
the idea that there are no 
emotions involved in it. 
Their vision of love is one 
that is fdled with roses and 
gentle sea waves, breezes 
through pine trees on pris¬ 
tine mountain tops. When 
the acts they witness are 
really hurricanes carrying 
flaming winds, they can only 
think they’re seeing destruc¬ 
tion. They can’t perceive the 
truth—that it is often a more 
powerful event than any¬ 
thing they have ever im¬ 
agined. 

Preston challenges us to take 
a second look at the world around 
us; to look at those places where 
institutionalized violence and 
non-sexual servitude are not only 
acceptable, but encouraged, ap¬ 
plauded, and highly rewarded. 

It is in this philosophizing that 
Preston’s work structurally and 
emotionally takes a step beyond 
Once I Had a Master. We are not 
only treated to Preston’s story, 
but in case we haven’t gotten the 
message, Preston waxes repeated¬ 
ly and philosophically on the real 
world and his status in it as an 
S/M master. Unfortunately, this 
tack is a major misstep for Pres¬ 
ton because too often he begins 
to come across as a pretentious, 
piss-elegant leather queen with 
an overinflated ego. 

(Continued on page 59) 


T hose of us who are famil¬ 
iar with the images of 
sadomasochism and the 
leather community within the 
gay community will find in this 
book a foreign mix of vivid S/M 
photographs that remind us that 
S/M is a world unto itself, cross¬ 
ing all boundaries of gay/ 
straight, male/female, white/ 
black. 

I found the photographs and 
the accompanying text to be 
rather disturbing. At first pass, 
I responded with a groan and 
dismissive feeling of discomfort. 
But in thinking my response 
through (in preparation to review 
the book), I had to confront my 
own dichotomous feelings about 
S/M. 

We have become so accus¬ 
tomed to the raw, handsome im¬ 
age of leathermen, adorned so 
charmingly, so enticingly, so 
nipped-and-tucked in their shiny 
black leather chaps and vests, 
perhaps laughing and joking at 
a beer bust or cruising on Satur¬ 
day night—so accustomed that 
when exposed to what are plain, 
artistic renderings of the actual 
scene of S/M—where everyone is 
focused on the sexual expression 
at hand, not on the possibly 
macho-perfect reflection in a 
mirror or darkened window—we 
recoil in awe and suspicion at 
the utter truth of this radical 
form of human sexuality. 

And I do believe S/M is a form 
of sexuality, not—as some of the 
commentators in this book sug¬ 
gest—a unique form of some¬ 
thing else, human communica¬ 
tion, power trips, the working 
out of neuroses. After all, these 
latter are all components of sex¬ 
uality, subsets if you will, be it 
S/M, vanilla, or any of the many 
gradations between. 

So, taken in that regard, with¬ 
in the context of radical human 
sexuality, the photographer of 
Sexual Magic exposes us to a 
“hidden” community of men 
and women who express their 


sexuality in the sadomasochistic 
forum, and who eschew tradi¬ 
tional sex as banal, and who, by 
virtue of their appearance in the 
book say: “Hey, take a look! 
We’re not crazed, we’re not 
demons. We’re caring and loving 
people who want to take this sex 
thing to a different limit than 
organic rubbing.” 

And that is where the awe and 
suspicion come in. That is where 
the “utter truth” of S/M comes 
in. That’s where we have to stop 
and consider our discomfort and 
the threat of non-charming S/M 
images and realize that sex—of 
any safe, consensual kind—is 
okay. For that is the ultimate 
truth about radical sexualities. 
That is the part that makes us 
so uptight—that the physicali- 
ties of sex, that the emotional/in¬ 
tellectual celebrations of two 
people coming together (with 
love and responsibility and car¬ 
ing, of course) is simply, in and 
by itself, perfectly acceptable. 

This always goes against the 
grain of our consciousness—our 
ideology—in this culture of 
sound Christian values inter¬ 
mixed with a touch of zen and 
a heap of Calvinism. Because 
even when we free ouselves from 
the guilt of being adults, even 
when we free ourselves of all the 
fears and shames of our sexuali¬ 
ty, our animal nature, our mor¬ 
tality, we still think in prevailing¬ 
ly Christian modes—that there 
is right and wrong sex, that there 
are better and worse ways to have 
sex, that loving and caring and 
sensuality can really be express¬ 
ed in only one or two ways. 

S/M, then, and its true im¬ 
ages, force us to confront folks 
and ideas that assert this ain’t 
so. So while the photographs in 
this book still make me shudder 
in discomfort, I say: Go see 
them. That shudder of discom¬ 
fort is a valuable and instructive 
thing. It forces us to realize that 
there is a great need to confront 
the habits and ideologies that 
can trap us all. • 

JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 55 



BAY AREA REPORTER 
















Gay Pride in Asian Dress 


NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Once More with—-What? 



A geisha and her doll in Mosaic: Solo-Body, Duo-Sex, 
photographs by Hiroshi Showji 


Mosaic: Solo-Body, Duo-Sex 

Photographs by Hiroshi Showji 

by Mark 1. Chester 

A s we approach Gay Pride 
Day, it is sometimes hard 
to understand that it 
means different things to be gay 
in different countries. In my 
teens, I spent a couple of sum¬ 
mers in Chile. We were taken to 
the red light district, and were 
shown maricones and prostitutes. 
Maricones, or homosexuals, were 
men who dressed and lived as 
women. That was the only defini¬ 
tion for a homosexual. 

Japan is an even harder coun¬ 
try to understand. Beyond a great 
language difference, there is a 
cultural difference that is almost 
unbridgeable. Homosexuality 
(meaning sex between males) is 
allowed as long as it is not public 
and it does not interfere with the 
traditional family setup. Probab¬ 
ly the two most famous modern 
Japanese artists who explored 
homosexuality in a public man¬ 
ner were Yukio Mishima, the 
writer, filmmaker, and director 
whose autobiography Confes¬ 
sions of a Mask describes his ho¬ 
mosexual desires, and Tomatso 
Yato, a photographer whose 
beautiful pictures of young Jap¬ 
anese males were featured in the 
book Otoko. It is not surprising 
that both of their families, to save 
face, deny and reject their homo¬ 
sexual personalities despite 
publicly printed work exploring 
just that. 

So, I was most interested when 
I saw an ad for a new book of 
photographs by Japanese photo¬ 
grapher Hiroshi Showji called 
Mosaic: Solo-Body, Duo-Sex 
which purported to show modern 
gay life in Japan. The paperback 
book, 8" X11", is filled with rich, 
sumptuous color photographs of 
men dressed as women, mostly 
taken at a gay Japanese hot spot 
in Tokyo. On first glance through 
this book, I assumed these were 
pictures of women. Only on sec¬ 
ond glance, and a closer inspec¬ 
tion, did I begin to see signs that 
these were actually men dressed 
as women. 

The “women” are shown ca¬ 
vorting and having a good time, 
in erotically tinged photographs 
that approach the centerfolds 


of men’s magazines. In portraits 
with boyfriends and in parades 
out on the street, their dress 
covers the full range from mod¬ 
ern Western clothing to tradi¬ 
tional geisha kimono and wig. 

There are also images that on 
closer inspection are specifically 
transvestite photographs: a 
young man shown close up has a 
new covering of facial hair just 
showing on his face, another 
young man shown in an erotical¬ 
ly tinged photograph has a hori¬ 
zontal slit just below the tit— 
apparently from a breast enlarge¬ 
ment operation, and images of 
men dressed as women that don’t 
quite pass. 


Most surprising of all are a se¬ 
ries of quotes in Japanese, also 
appearing in English. While I 
can’t speak to the appropriate¬ 
ness of the translations, they pro¬ 
vide an image of homosexuality 
those of us here in the U.S. will 
relate to as negative. 

One young man putting on 
female makeup says, “Women 
are feline and I don’t like them. 
But the man I like wants women. 
So, for the man I love, I’ve 
become one of those women I 
hate.” Another man says, “If I 
were to be born again... I’d like 
to be a man who feels like a man, 
a woman who feels like a woman 
inside.” They are sad statements 
by people who don’t fit into the 
culture to which they were born, 
anywhere. 

At the same time, other state¬ 
ments speak to a blend of male 
and female that is unique. One 
man says, “Those who have total¬ 
ly become women are not gay. 
You’re gay if you’re a blend of 
man and woman.” And another 
one that says “Why do you have 
to be either a man or a woman? 
One and not also the other?” 
These statements are obviously 
more positive and accepting of 
the life into which they were born. 

Mosaic is an unusual book that 
contradicts our image of our¬ 
selves as gay men and lesbians, 
happy to be the people that we 
were born to be. Copies can be 
ordered from Kinokulya Book 
Stores of America Co., Ltd., 
Weller Court Shopping Center, 
123 W. Weller St., Suite 106, Los 
Angeles, CA 90012 for $43.35 
postpaid. Allow six weeks for 
delivery. • 


Quatrefoil 

by James Barr, with an 
Introduction by Samuel Steward 
Alyson Publications, $7.95 

by Marv. Shaw 

W e have undoubted gay 
classics. Mann’s Death 
in Venice and Gide’s The 
Immoralist are two Steward cites 
in his introduction. More recent 
works by Vidal and Capote aspire 
to classic status. Alyson’s cover 
blurb calls Barr’s novel “a classic 
work of gay writing.” Is it truly? 
Before we measure, we must see 
what’s there, all the while 
remembering the novel has been 
published three times, beginning 
in 1950. 

In 1946 Phillip Froelich is 
about to stand a court martial for 
insubordination to his ships’ cap¬ 
tain, an incompetent slob. Enter 
Commander Timothy Danelaw, 
ten years older than Phillip and 
much wiser. Danelaw soon begins 
guiding, pulling strings, and 
pushing buttons for his new 
young friend. But there are com¬ 
plications: a pushy fiancee, a jeal¬ 
ous wife, a weaselly Naval at¬ 
torney, and many more. And of 
course there is in Phillip himself 
a horror of what he suspects is his 
true nature. Hanging over every¬ 
thing is the pall we now identify 
as societal homophobia. The 
melodrama builds, with various 
romantic and psychological infu¬ 
sions. 

On two counts then, Quatrefoil 
is a novel of its time, that of 40 
years ago when homosexuality 
was unquestionably criminal and 
psychologically degenerate—and 
no real man would accept his own 
gayness. In 1986 we must still 
acknowledge homophobic viru¬ 
lence, even from some sophisti¬ 
cated people. Internalized homo¬ 
phobia is something else again. 
When the protagonists acidly 


protest against the effeminate, 
they become psychological bigots 
and stain their own supposedly 
heroic characters. Barr, under his 
real name of Fugate, was said to 
be an oil derrick rigger, more 
macho than thou, and that might 
be the source of the problem. 

But does Quatrefoil reach a 
level of universality which would 
bring it classic status and make 
the period characteristics mere 
quibbles? On one count—and a 
second related one—it certainly 
does. First, the tale of the boy 
achieving manhood is evergreen 
for all cultures. While Phillip is 
23, Barr repeatedly refers to him 
as “the boy.” For all his in¬ 
telligence and bravado, Phillip is 
immature. Then too, Tim as lov¬ 
ing mentor is a staple in the 
manhood achievement story. The 
homosexual presence gives the 
novel a distinction that is more 
than a mere embellishment. 

Not everything contributes. 
Some characters, like Phillip’s in¬ 
tended Southern belle bride, are 
flat indeed. Coincidence reduces 
credibility a bit. In his conniving 
and petulant thrashing, Phillip, 
for all his multiple virtues, often 
becomes a snobbish pain in the 
ass. Tim, in his mentor role, 
sometimes turns too omniscient 
to be believed. The cover photo, 
in direct imitation of Flandrin’s 
painting “Naked Youth by the 
Seaside,” has only a marginal ap¬ 
propriateness. 

So has Alyson done interna¬ 
tional gaydom a service by this re¬ 
issue? Though we all realize this 
third appearance has a basic and 
respectable commercial motive, 
the answer is a qualified “yes.” 
Though probably not a classic, 
Quatrefoil has historical value, if 
only as a point at which gay men 
started assuming a different 
character. • 




A NOVEL BY JAMES BARR 


$ \ M V f l $ T f W A. R D 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 56 























Crowning Achievement 


The Magnificent Spinster 

by May Sarton 
W.W. IN or ton; $17.95 
by Paul Reed 

T his novel could easily be re¬ 
titled “The Magnificent 
Novel,” so great an achieve¬ 
ment is it. Here May Sarton has 
really done.it—this is the great 
big novel of women, of love, of 
friendships, and of passion that 
we have always known Sarton 
could turn out. Now she has, and 
readers w ill be' delighted to find 
Magnificent Spinster a dense 
and thoroughly satisfy ing read. 

But it’s slow going. Sarton has 
chosen to intermix a number of 
narrative vantage points—first 
person, third person, historical, 
contemporary, dialogic, and 
journalistic—in w hat amounts to 
an intimate portrait of a fictional 
character, Jane Reid (based on 
the real Anne Thorpe). This 
woman is “the magnificent 
spinster.” 

Now, about the title, and 
about the book’s theme. The idea 
of a magnificent spinster goes 
against the grain of our usual 
perceptions of that word, and of 
that state of being. “Spinster ” in¬ 
spires images of drawn, pinched, 
little old ladies, bookish types 
w ho were never able to marry, for 
whatever reasons. 

But Sarton’s “spinster” is ut¬ 
terly magnificent in her incredi¬ 
ble ability to love and to give of 
herself in ways utterly different 
from the traditional mutes of 
marriage, motherhood or even 
lesbian or mistress. No, Jane 
Reid is magnificent precisely 
because her life as shown here is 
completely independent of any of 
those roles, yet it is a life so rich 
and full of beauty the reader 
understands that there are many 
ways to live this life, and they do 
not always include—for whatever 
reasons—passionate love and/or 
sexuality. 

1 his is an old message for the 
HOs, indeed, for this half of the 
century, where sexual and pas¬ 
sionate involvement have become 


■ /■ i 


fill 


author of ANGER. AT SEVENTY, 
AS WE ARE NOW, 
JOURNAL OF 
A SOLITUDE, etc. 



NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


A Gay Spiritual Forefather 

Towards Democracy 

by Edward Carpenter 
Gay Men’s Press, $10.95 
by Marv. Shaw 

I f you have ever been mov¬ 
ed by the lusty vigor, iden¬ 
tification with nature, man¬ 
ly love, and great range of com¬ 
passion Walt Whitman convey¬ 
ed, you will find this volume 
engrossing. Carpenter (1844- 
1929) knew and admired Whit¬ 
man enormously. The great 
American original’s influence 
beats throughout this work, but 
much here is Carpenter’s own. 


the very definition of a “happy” 
or “fulfilled” life. Sarton shows 
how solitude, platonic friend¬ 
ship, deep love separate from 
eros, and irrepressible energy 
born of a giv ing spirit can sketch 
a life as rich and fulfilled as any. 

And, at long last, Sarton does 
not shy away from lesbian love, 
or, to be more faithful to her view¬ 
point, does not shy away from 
love between women. For the 
novel’s narrator. Cam (who is 
Sarton as plain as day), is herself 
involved with a woman lover of 
many years throughout the novel, 
and this relationship only brings 



the spinster’s own life into high 
relief. 

The novel spans a long, long 
time, from before World War I 
through the 19T0s. And through¬ 
out, Sarton is both accurate and 
evocative as we experience a 
changing world through these 
characters as they age. This is 
perhaps one of the more subtle 
strengths of the novel, this watch 
on the world through the 20th 
century . Because w ith each wave 
of history we see how the many 
characters respond, and this is a 
truly gifted dev ice of letting us see 
character development. 

But Sarton’s portrait of the 
world, and of a life in the East 
prior to World War I, is evocative 
and poignant. She writes so well 
in the first section of the book— 
during this period—that the 
reader is filled w ith melancholy 
for a time w hen things were much 
different, and much better in 
many ways, in the ways that 
count—in measures of human 
warmth, friendship, compas¬ 
sion. 

I ’erhaps the greatest weakness 
of the novel emerges toward the j 
end. The final portrait—of life on j 
Jane Reid’s family's island— 
doesn’t come as fully to life as it 
might. And in studying the text, 
it would seem the fault lies with a 
sudden decline in the individual¬ 
ity of the older characters. More 
specifically this can be traced to 
the dialog itself, wherein dif¬ 
ferent characters speak w ith the 
same voice, using the same 
phrases, such as “It’s a bit of luck 
. . .” or utilizing the same 
endearments. A minor matter 
this, but it led to a bit of confu¬ 
sion that weakened the closing 
chapter. 

Nevertheless, this is May Sar¬ 
ton’s crowning achievement, a 
thick novel of hearty themes, 
rendered evocatively, lovingly, 
and w ith great care and craft. ■ 


'lusty vigor!' 


“Democracy” for Carpenter 
meant much more than a system 
of governance. The Whitmanes- 
que idea of universal brother¬ 
hood was more like it. Addition¬ 
ally, Carpenter was most social¬ 
istic in his concept of democracy. 
Humankind’s wealth and work 
were to be shared. 

While still a young man, he 
gave up a lectureship in science 
to take up and farm a small 
holding, with the rest of his time 
devoted to writing—or loafing 
and inviting his soul, as his in- 
spirer said. 

The democratic-socialistic 
often merged with the mystic as 
he identified with nature and the 
forces of the universe. In “The 
Ocean of Sex,” for example, he 
writes: “0 wonderful Ocean of 
Sex,/ Ocean of millions and mil¬ 
lions of tiny, seed-like human 
forms/ Contained (if truly they 
be contained) within each per¬ 
son,/ Mirror of the very uni¬ 


verse,/ Sacred temple and inner¬ 
most shrine of each body,/...” 
The current emergence of the 
gay spirituality movement finds 
one of its connections with Car¬ 
penter in such passages. 

One of the poet’s most sur¬ 
prising characteristics was his 
open espousal of gay love in the 
period that saw the Wilde trials, 
a terribly reactionary and homo- 
phobic time. Again, some of that 
expression was mystical, but the 
psychology of it was perceptive 
and explicit. For instance, in ‘0 
Child of Uranus,” he writes: 
“Thy Woman-soul within a 
Man’s form dwelling,/ (Was 
Adam perchance like this, ere 
Eve from his side was drawn?)/ 
So gentle, gracious, dignified, 
complete./ With man’s strength 
to perform, and pride to suffer 
without a sign,/ And feminine 
sensitiveness to the last fibre of 
being;/ ...” 

Even more startling is the ex¬ 
pression of the earthy gay male 
experience in such poems as 
“Summer Heat,” in which two 
men lie naked on the ground in 
the woods with ferns arching 
over them, and then finally, “Till 
with the midday sun scorching, 
smiting,/ Up from their wood¬ 
land lair they leap, and smite/ 
And strike with wands, and wres¬ 
tle, and bruise each other,/ In 
savage play and amorous 
despite.” 

Gay Men’s Press is to be com¬ 
mended for bringing Carpen¬ 
ter’s combination of courage, 
vision, and genius to today’s 
readers. ■ 



■Hi mm Wgk 

7 

111 ■■ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 57 





















The Ambisexuals Come On 


Casey, the Bi-Coastal Kid 

by Jim Brogan 
Equanimity Press, $7.95 
by Marv. Shaw 

S tep a few years into the 
future and meet Casey, 
who is entering his senior 
year of high school. The guy is 
bright, engaging, and pretty gut¬ 
sy. He is at home on both coasts: 
Hastings, New York, and Cape 
Cod; Mill Valley and the Bay 
Area. But of even greater interest 
is the divided but harmonious 
consciousness we see him 
develop during this breakover 
year when his manhood is com¬ 
ing on fast and strong. 

During his late childhood, his 
parents divorced, with his lawyer 
father re-marrying and staying 
in New York and his mother and 
her new husband re-establishing 
themselves in California. Casey 
lives most of the year with his 
father, then comes west for part •' 
of the summer here. He takes the 
shifts and the relations with all 
four parents in beautiful stride. 

Brogan’s conceit of placing 
the story in 1989-90 has nothing 
to do with science fiction. For . 
one thing, the story is not all 
that far ahead in time, so there 
are no great technological dif¬ 
ferences or radical shifts in 
world order to worry about. 
What the author does want us to 
realize is that sexual orientation, 
which started its tentative drift 
toward ambivalence in a guard¬ 
ed way in the ’70s, has now ap¬ 
peared much nearer the surface 
and more achievable. 

Casey’s prime loyalty is to 
Gloria, his teenaged sweetheart. 
The sophistication of these two 
is noticeably in advance of most 
of the adolescents we know, but 
otherwise, they are typical kids 
in love, making love and giving 
each other headaches. However, 


that sophistication gives each 
the spur and permission to ex¬ 
plore relations with each one’s 
own sex. So Casey can get it on 
with Rob and Mark. Gloria can 
have sensual good times with 
older feminist women in Boston. 
Their own love does not suffer; 
it seems to grow richer. 

Is Brogan just toying with a 
wish-fulfillment fantasy? Prob¬ 
ably not. His work in teaching 
undergraduate English courses 
at San Francisco State for many 
years has put him close to the 
changing consciousness of the 
forthcoming generation. More 
likely, he sees Casey’s generation 
as a natural development of 
those present and immediately 
past. 

And our understanding of 
Casey is cleverly doubled. In ad¬ 
dition to the narration coming 
to us just back of Casey’s right 
shoulder, the lad himself is 
writing a journal-like novel 
about himself. So we see the pro¬ 
tagonist both from within and 
from just outside. 

Unfortunately, there are rough 
spots, passages in which unreali¬ 
ty slips in. The dialogue 
sometimes sounds like Brogan 
rather than the characters sup¬ 
posedly speaking it. With Gloria 
and Casey that is frequently ok 
because they are, in one sense, 
teenagers talking over their 
heads, but the same thing hap¬ 
pens with other characters too. 

In sum, however, this new 
novel is a provocative piece quite 
worthy of attention. Name 
another book in which the cen¬ 
tral idea is the naturally 
developed bisexuality of the 
newest adult generation. ■ 



Westover’s embittered ex-wife, 
his strange musical genius of a 
son, a chicly handsome young 
lawyer, and a furniture artist who 
was once Westover’s closest 
friend are but four of the sharp¬ 
ly limned characters who com¬ 
plicate Brandstetter’s efforts. 

As always, Hansen sets a brisk 
pace and saturates the varied 
scenes with a style that makes 
every detail live. A fair sample is 
his welcome to the mountain 
town of Buenos Vientos, where 
Westover.’s harpsichordist son 
might be: “In the little town, the 
windows of the cafe smiled yellow 
through the snowfall. It was only 
noon but the snowfall made it 
dark. He parked beside a bat¬ 
tered pickup truck and entered 
the cafe through a door hung 
with little bells that jingled. The 
air inside was warm, steamy and 
smelled of cooking.” 

Beyond the compelling style, 
the surprising but logical plot, 
and the intriguing characters is 
the great'bonus of Gravedigger 
—gay insights. We see how power¬ 
ful same-sex love can be even 
when it must be hidden, how 
poisonously corrupting a lux¬ 
urious seduction of an adolescent 
can be, and how vital to life is the 
love of an older white man and a 
black youth. 

Get this one. It’s a great read! 


NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Sleuth with a 
Gay Difference 

Gravedigger 

by Joseph Hansen 

Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 

S3.95 (paper) 

by Marv. Shaw 

O nce again, Hansen’s gay 
insurance detective Dave 
Brandstetter pulls us with 
him into that wild Southern 
California mix of the glamorous 
and shabby, the virtuous and sin¬ 
ister he probes for a living. This 
time, the turbulence is even 
heavier and the deceptions more 
vicious. Also, the characters and 
circumstances are decidedly gay¬ 
er than in previous novels. 

Banner Insurance sets Dave to 
find Charlie Westover, who sup¬ 
posedly can claim death benefits 
on his daughter Serenity, alleged 
to be the victim of a desert sex 
guru named Azrael, who has kill¬ 
ed other girls then ended in a 
fiery crash. But Westover has 
disappeared, and there is no 
proof that his daughter is dead. 

Soon into the plot comes his 
adoring young black lover Cecil, 
a sometimes TV reporter. The 
passion that the middle-aging 
Dave shares with the rangy Cecil 
is both unique and convincing. 


'We see how pow¬ 
erful same-sex love 
can be even when it 
must be hidden . . / 



Into a Catalytic War 

Fellow Travellers 

by T.C. Worsley 
Gay Men’s Press, $7.50 
by Marv. Shaw 

T he title term has been 
used mostly negatively, 
expecially by right wing¬ 
ers worldwide. Translated from 
the Russian popuchlihi, it means 
those who go along with the 
philosophy and objectives of the 
Communists. Worsley’s charac¬ 
ters do that, but he means much 
more than politics here. 

Set in Britain and Spain in 
the later ’30s, his novel traces 
the often haphazard journey of 
five people toward some better 
self realization than they can 
find in the confusion of a 
Depression, a class-bound socie¬ 
ty, frequently violent political 
clashes, and a Europe skidding 
toward another hideous war. 

Worsley calls the work a 
memoir rearranged to suit his 
intentions. Basically, it is a 
roman a clef, some of whose 
characters are easily recogniz¬ 
able. The bisexual poet and 
critic Stephen Spender is Mar¬ 
tin Murray, a fact acknowledged 
by Spender himself. The feckless 
but brilliant young refugee from 
Oxford, Gavin Summers, is Giles 
Romilly, later to become a writer 
himself. Murray’s sometimes in¬ 
amorata, Harry, is Tony Hynd- 
man, a Guardsman Spender got 
sprung from the service. 

With the exception of Lady 
Nellie, who is probably modeled 
on the leftist aristocrat the 
Duchess of Atholl, the main 
figures are gay men. Their sex¬ 
ual and emotional inter-relation¬ 
ships flow and ebb, with no 
stable attachments. But they are 
all bound to each other by a 
strong sense of being of a kind. 

Another bond is their shared 
leftist politics. 

Socialistic ideals drew them, 
but joining the Communist Par¬ 
ty, that ultimate step, both at¬ 
tracted and repelled them. 

However, as the civil war in 


Spain flared and was obviously 
a contest between fascism and 
communism, Britain and France 
remained embarrassingly dila¬ 
tory. In the face of that apathy, 
Worsley’s people were catapul¬ 
ted into decision and action. 
Their involvement in the Span¬ 
ish war changed them all pro¬ 
foundly. 

Worsley constructs his novel 
in so-called “files,” in each of 
which one of the characters tells 
what happens to him—but most¬ 
ly how he analyzes the others. 
The shifts in point of view are 
handled well enough, but the ef¬ 
fect is not unlike a TV documen¬ 
tary of talking heads. Episodes 
of real action are far outnum¬ 
bered by monologues of person¬ 
ality assessment and prediction 
of reaction. However, Worsley 
knows his people well enough 
and makes their discourse pene¬ 
trating and authentic. 

The gayness is so taken for 
granted by so many that the 
reader is persuaded it must be 
the norm. It is here probably 
that Worsley is seriously mis¬ 
leading. From the vantage of 
1971, when the book was first 
published, maybe it all seemed 
so, but it must be remembered 
that the period of the novel is 20 
years before even the Wolfenden 
Report. It is hard to believe even 
bohemian Bloomsbury was so 
blase about homosexuality. 

The gay aspect notwithstand¬ 
ing, Worsley, the effaced narra¬ 
tor, succeeds in his main 
intention: giving a unique but 
still characteristic picture of the 
’30s. Then as now, young people 
were reaching, sometimes nobly, 
sometimes mistakenly, toward 
the realization of ideals. The 
shadow then was a second world 
war. The shadow now is nuclear 
annihilation. The struggles are 
similar, the human outcomes 
also often the same. ■ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 58 








NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


A Gay Elder’s Positive Essays 

How Can You Come Out If You’ve Never Been In? 

by Donald Vining 

The Crossing Press. $6.95 (paper} 

by Marv. Shaw 


R ealistic but upbeat, blunt 
but graceful, serious but 
witty, Don Vining’s new 
collection from the last decade 
for periodicals such as The Ad¬ 
vocate and In Touch 
demonstrates the wisdom ex¬ 
perience combined with insight 
and optimism can create. 

Subtitled “Essays on Gay Life 
and Relationships,” the antho¬ 
logy ranges from the perennial¬ 
ly important Relationships 
through Yesterday, Today, and 
Tomorrow. It becomes obvious al¬ 
most at once that the intense liv¬ 
ing, feeling, and thinking that 
Vining has accumulated and 
practiced in his three-score-plus 
years have made him a thorough, 
unabashed, and perceptive gay 
commentator. His own state¬ 
ments illustrate best. 


'Nor did gays skulk 
about in pre-Stone- 
wall days/ 

—Donald Vining 


On “Sex Specialization”: 
“What they [the specializers] 
need to learn is that love itself is 
a turn-on that cani make one 
blind even to such immutables in 


another person as a stature well 
under one’s ideal requirements 
or a weight well over it, to skin not 
of one’s first choice in color, and 
genitals suitable only to a human 
being rather than to a horse.” 

On “Handling Rejection”: 
“The fact that so many gays go 
in for overkill in rejecting is what 
makes many others unduly tim¬ 
id, unreasonably sensitive to 
what we should all view as 
nothing but a minor setback in 
our sexual venturing.” 

In the title essay, partly a recall 
of the post-World War II era: 
“Nor did gays skulk about in pre- 
Stonewall days. They camped, 
hooted, hollered and constantly 
flung defiance at the straight 
world.” 

In “Straight Talk”: “Separa¬ 
tists do us all a disservice. They 
abet the Jerry Falwells of the 
world by doing nothing to coun¬ 
teract the poisonous propaganda 
that gays and lesbians are some 
sort of monster.” 

In the closing essay, “Where 
Do We Go from Here?” Vining 
writes: “We’ve come an amazing 
distance in the fifty-odd years of 
my gay awareness, and I hope we 
travel at least an equal distance, 
at an accelerated speed, in what 
remains of this century.” Right 
on, man! And you stick around 
too, Don. We need your stuff. • 



Gonza Magillas 

Out In The World, Selected Letters 
of Jane Bowles 


edited by Millicent Dillon 
Black Sparrow Press, 1985 
by John D. Dolan 

J ane Bowles, who was born 
in 1917 and died in 1973, 
was not a prolific writer. 
Two Serious Ladies, a novel, was 
published in 1943. Her one play, 
of which there are three versions, 
was first produced in 1953, and 
her six short stories can be 
found in her collected works, 
published in 1965. Now we have 
her selected letters, edited by the 
same woman who wrote A Little 
Original Sin (1981). 

Jane Bowles lived an extraor¬ 
dinarily unconventional life. She 
married Paul Bowles, the writer- 
composer, in 1938, and on his 
account moved to Morocco, 
where she lived for years. Their 
relationship was a central fact in 
her life, and yet they often went 
their own ways, in and out of 
bed. As Dillon points out in her 
succinct and valuable introduc¬ 
tion, after Jane’s affair with 
Helvetia Perkins, whom she met 
while traveling with Paul in Mex¬ 
ico in 1940, Jane’s “certainty in 
her powers of wit and charm” 
underwent a profound change. 

Then there is the matter of 
Jane’s relentless artistic integri¬ 
ty. Again, as Dillon points out, 
all of her work was “completed 
by the time she was in her early 
30s,” meaning before her life in 
Tangier began, and, ironically, 
after her husband’s career as a 
writer took off. She would come 
to love other women “roman¬ 
tically” (Jane’s word), but her 
life with Cherifa in Tangier (an 
Arabian woman she met in 1948) 
was central to her life until the 


late 1960s. 

And then there are these 
letters—133 of them—which, as 
all great letters do, reveal, il¬ 
luminate, entertain, and tell the 
story direct, as it were, from the 
horse’s mouth. Letters are not 
conversation, and because Jane 
honored what the written word 
can do and because she in¬ 
telligently understood her own 
complicated person. Her letters 
are “literature,” meaning that 
while Jane Bowles writes about 
daily activities and about her 
considerable dilemmas, the let¬ 
ters create a character. And 
while it’s easy enough to com¬ 
prehend any one of her letters, 
it’s impossible to summarize the 
person who comes “out in the 
world” in this selection. 

For instance, her letters to 
Paul amount to a study of that 
unique relationship. That they 
loved each other—he’s still liv¬ 
ing—there’s no question. But 
they had lots of problems, and 
Jane, being a frank person, lets 
us in on them. Money was one. 
He made more, and generally 
speaking, Jane was dependent 
on that fact. But she was also 
strong willed, and while con¬ 
siderate, she was no tag-along. 
Their conflicting desires, sexual 
and not, created incredibly com¬ 
plicated and changing situa¬ 
tions. We see all of this in her 
many long letters to him, and at 
some points we see it in agoniz¬ 
ed detail in letters which Jane 
called “megillahs,” and when it 
was a joke, “gonza magillas.” 
Not especially witty in her let¬ 
ters to him (she"’s often self- 
justifying), she expresses anxie- 


Master 

(Continued from page 55) 

Preston is queried as to his 
right to turn private acts into 
something for public consump¬ 
tion. He answers: “I am the 
ringmaster of the circus. I direct 
the lights and I coordinate the 
acts. That is my skill, my first love, 
my contribution to a world full of 
blandness and dreary morality.” 
This is rather obvious from read¬ 
ing Entertainment. In a book 
focused on himself, it is an un¬ 
necessary, self-trumpeting state¬ 
ment, and indicative of an atti¬ 
tude that becomes increasingly 
unpleasant throughout the book. 

Preston spouts trite commen¬ 
taries as if they were teachings 
from the mount. “That we live in 
a democratic society is one of the 
great lies of America,” Preston 
tells the reader as if it were a new 
and shattering truth. “Adrienne 
says it is my duty to change the 
course of Western civilization,” 
Preston smiles. He responds, “I 
don’t think so,” but you know he 
has at least considered the possi¬ 
bility. And in a generalization 
that is worthy of a Falwell or a 
LaRouche, Preston spits: “Col¬ 
lections of punks stood on street 


corners, probably to victimize the 
other poor people. They would 
rob the old ladies on Social 
Security, beat the women on wel¬ 
fare, rape the young men living 
on disability. They disgusted 
me.” Preston is just as right as 
the California legislator who in 
1986 voted against higher AIDS 
funding by saying AIDS is just a 
gay disease. 

But even worse is Preston’s 
abusive fantasy that he could cor¬ 
rect and redirect the lives of 
“violent and anarchistic young 
males” by good food, hard 
studies, physical labor, and the 
“well applied strap.” Does 
Preston seriously believe that 
physical punishment is the an¬ 
swer to the world’s ills? Preston 
seems to lose track of the fact that 
punishment works in an S/M 
situation only because of con¬ 
sent; punishment is not the key, 
consent is. Preston is frightening¬ 
ly serious when he says, “The 
failing of the whole social serv¬ 
ices system could be overcome by 
a confederation of sadists.” 

Towards the end of the book, 
Preston cleanly describes the 
reason for arranging his party: 
“Everything around us is so de¬ 
filed by corruption in one way or 


ty, interest, and love to a hus¬ 
band who could not stay put 
anywhere for very long. 

Another large group of letters 
are to Libby Holman, the singer. 
Again, some of the letters are 
“megillahs” (Yiddish for over¬ 
ly extended), but in these letters, 
as in others to various persons, 
mostly women, Jane’s wit and 
charm begin to indicate why, 
when she was loved, she was lov¬ 
ed so passionately. Equally 
frank, Jane also reveals an 
abiding conflict of gratitude, 
guilt, and love bumping up 
against her Fierce independence, 
and, as always, her lifelong 
struggle to express fully, clear¬ 
ly, and truly what she’s exper¬ 
iencing. 

In 1957, at age 40, Jane 
Bowles suffered a stroke. It hap¬ 
pened immediately after an 
argument with her beloved 
Cherifa. From this point on, her 
letters are, if nothing else, a 
testament to her moral courage. 
She got somewhat better, trav¬ 
elled some, got gradually worse, 
and was finally unable to write 
the kind of letter she needed and 
wanted to. Her downhill trip may 
at times seem depressing, but 
she didn’t give up, often dis¬ 
played a mordant wit, until trail¬ 
ing off she became inarticulate. 
Her last letter in this book is ten¬ 
tatively dated 1970. She died in 
a Spanish clinic three years later. 

Millicent Dion has done a ter¬ 
rific job of editing. Never in¬ 
truding herself, she supplies, 
when needed, factual informa¬ 
tion between the letters and in 
brief footnotes. With true im¬ 
agination, she also places short 
excerpts from Jane’s work into 
the text, an editorial decision 
which enhances it, as well as pro¬ 
viding a chronology of Jane 
Bowles’ life. H 


another. We’re brought down to 
some low common denominator 
by it all, our sex is and so is our 
writing. Our finest moments, 
Madame, are in our minds and in 
our words. It’s so seldom that 
we’re able to translate them into 
our lives, no matter how much we 
try.” 

But after 150 pages of buildup 
to his party, Preston throws the 
party off with seven anti-climac¬ 
tic pages. It is a cock tease. 
Preston is attempting to domi¬ 
nate everyone who reads his book. 
It is ultimately an unsatisfactory 
conclusion despite Preston’s ap¬ 
proach that as a master he alone 
decides what is of interest. In the 
beginning of the book, Preston 
writes: “It [the party] was set up 
only for the four of us. Implicit 
was the statement that only the 
four of us would properly enjoy 
the entertainment that was_ 
planned.” Preston at least sticks 
to his word. 

With more master’s journals 
to come, I look forward to 
Preston’s further sexual exploits. 
But more of the same attitude 
from his “higher plane” will be 
no entertainment. • 

M.l. Chester 


SUMMERBOOKS 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 59 










BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 60 












(All Photos by Rink/Graphics: N. Gotthart and D. Gregory) 



RTS & ENTERTAINMEN 


T 


- 



No Turning Back 


Forward Together 

# 


Mothertongue 

Chiori Santiago 
writes about the 
readers' theater, 

page 62. 


La Musica 

Stephen Drewes 
on what used to be 
underneath the Cafe 
San Marcos, 
page 66. 


Normal Heart 

Stephen Drewes 
and John Karr on the 
Berkeley Rep. pro¬ 
duction, 

pages 64 and 65. 


The AIDS Show 

Steve Warren writes 
about the Epstein/ 
Adair film, 

page 67. 


Video Fest 

Steve Warren on 
the adjunct to the 
Lesbian/Gay Inti. Film 
Festival, 
page 69. 




















NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 



Not So Far Apart 


A portion of the Mothertongue Readers' Theater collective 


(Photo: G. Day) 


'We Are the Drama' 

Mothertongue Readers' Theater Celebrates 
Ten Years of Art, Creativity, and Survival 

by Chiori Santiago 

T en years ago a group called the Women’s Speakers Network decided they wanted a more dramatic 
approach in delivering a feminist message at a national conference in San Francisco, and Mothertongue 
Readers’ Theater was born. 

While the Speakers Network doesn’t exist any longer, some of the women who performed that day in 1976 
are still with Mothertongue. The group has weathered financial hassles, internal arguments, and inspired 
formation of sister groups in Sonoma County and Santa Cruz. To celebrate its longevity, Mothertongue is 
holding a series of performances throughout the year on both sides of the Bay. 


In July, the feminist readers’ 
theater will present Endangered 
Species Saturday the 12th at the 
Women’s Building in San Fran¬ 
cisco, and again on Sunday the 
13th at La Pena Cultural Center 
in Berkeley. As are all its scripts, 
Endangered Species is written by 
women in the collective and 
speaks of personal experience— 
in this case, reaction to environ¬ 
mental issues, nuclear war, and 
the survival of women as a threat¬ 
ened member of the ecosystem. 

Unlike other readers’ theater 
groups, which deliver strictly 
from the printed page, Mother-* 
tongue does “act out a lot of 
scripts” according to member 
Ida DSW Red. But unlike tradi¬ 
tional theater, “the idea is to 
evoke the emotion of the writing 
rather than showing it,” she said. 
Over the past decade more than 
a hundred women have written 
and performed the tapestries of 
their lives in the form of poems, 
stories, dialogue, and skits staged 
by Mothertongue. 

“It’s a way for those who are 
not experienced in theater to 
write and perform,” Red explain¬ 
ed. The collective is open to any 
woman who is a “self-defined 
feminist.” 

“All you have to do to be a 
member is to work your ass off,” 
she added. 

For this series, Mothertongue 
revives some of its old favorites 
from days gone by. “Each per¬ 
formance,” said Red, “is like a 
birthday party. Even though 


some scripts were written years 
ago, they’re relevant today. 
Sometimes we start feeling we’re 
always doing the same old things, 
but there’s always someone in the 
audience who needs to know 
what I said last year—we’re al¬ 
ways telling old truths to new 
groups.” 


'The theater is based 
on the assumption that 
we all have something 
to say.' 


For old-time fans, Mother¬ 
tongue will present retrospectives 
of early work during November 
and December. In August the col¬ 
lective will do Women and Peace; 
September will feature Women’s 
Work, and in October it’ll be 
Spiritual Women —both new 
works. 

Scripts grow out of members’ 
submissions and are reviewed by 
the group in a “nurturing” at¬ 
mosphere, according to Liz 
Dunn, who has been a member 
for two years. “In the process, we 
hone and polish each other’s 
work,” added Red. None of the 
staged work uses a director; in¬ 
stead, one woman acts as a “third 
eye” to share ideas regarding in¬ 
terpretation and mood, and the 
group makes collective decisions 
based on those suggestions. 

“The performances vary enor¬ 
mously depending on the women 
involved,” Red explained. 


Mothertongue exists without 
grant funding, relying on ticket 
sales for the bulk of its revenue 
to pay rent for performance 
space, honoraria for the readers, 
and for child care and a sign 
language interpreter. Its survival 
has been “an organic process,” 
Dunn said. 

“We’ve survived by being flex¬ 
ible,” said Red. “There has 
always been a free flow of people 
who needed to do what we’re do¬ 
ing, and we have a faithful au¬ 
dience. Sometimes things slow 
down, and the organization has 
gone underground at times dur¬ 
ing the past ten years until in¬ 
terest is revived again. 

“The theater is based on the 
assumption that we all have 
something to say,” said Dunn. 
“Our lives are our art. We are the 
drama. The stories of our lives 
are creative. 

“And,” she adds, “we just have 
a good time.” 

Mothertongue readers’ Thea¬ 
ter performs on the second Satur¬ 
day of each month at 8 p.m. at the 
Women’s Building, 3543 18th St. 
in San Francisco; and the second 
Sunday of each month at La 
Pena, 3105 Shattuck Ave., in 
Berkeley. Tickets are $8-5, 
sliding scale donation at the 
door. All performances are 
wheelchair accessible, with 
childcare and interpretation for 
the hearing impaired with 
48-hour notice. Call 923-9958 or 
TTY 776-DEAF for information. 

• 


by Bob Woolhouse 

I f you are gay and they are 
straight, is it possible to be 
funny at high noon on Tues¬ 
day? On a cold, foggy day atop 
Mt. Parnassus? When in the 
hospital with an audience of 
medical personnel? 

Is it possible for a gay comic to 
capture a straight audience? 
Without editing and re-slanting 
the material? When squeezed in 
between several other comics do¬ 
ing jokes about heterosexual rela¬ 
tionships? 

Yes is the answer to all of the 
above. At least if the comics are 
Danny Williams, Tom Ammiano, 
and Marga Gomez. Comedy as 
they present it seems momentari¬ 
ly to break down the barriers be¬ 
tween straight and gay, allowing 
both sides to laugh with, rather 
than at, each other. 

Danny recently did a success¬ 
ful show, Noontime Cabaret, at 
the University of California, San 
Francisco Medical Center for a 
straight audience of medical per¬ 
sonnel. He captured not only 
their attention but also their sym¬ 
pathy, and then proceeded to 
launch into his uncensored gay 
comedy routines. The audience 
responded with the same enthusi¬ 
asm as the women at the Bay- 
brick Inn and the men of the S.F. 
Eagle. 

Tom and Marga, along with 
several determinedly heterosex¬ 
ual standup comics, each did ten- 
minute comedy slots for a KPFA 
benefit at The Other Cafe here in 
the city. The crowd of daters, 
mostly of the him and her varie¬ 
ty, enjoyed Ammiano and Gomez 
as much or more than the 
straight comics on the program, 
despite the differences in mate¬ 
rial and point of view. 

There are differences in au¬ 
diences, of course, but not so 
much along the lines of sexual 
orientation. The setting can 
make a big difference. A sit-down 
cabaret audience may be more at¬ 


tentive than a mobile bar crowd. 
A paying audience may be more 
appreciative than a freebee crowd 
that didn’t expect a show in the 
first place. And a Fresno audi¬ 
ence is not a Bay Area one. 

Certain rules apply for dealing 
with the gay/straight comedy 
situation. Ease into the gay ma¬ 
terial without hitting them over 
the head with it. Avoid the hard¬ 
core porno jokes about your anal 
compulsive roommate. Forget the 
comedy of aggressiveness, which 
is only a mask for personal 
animosity. 

Another factor is for the com¬ 
ic to come across as a likeable 
person who happens to be doing 
gay humor. Once this quality is 
established, a rapport is possible 
and the humanizing process be¬ 
gins. Thereafter, the audience is 
ready to appreciate the gay slant 
to the absurdities of relationships 
and the frustrations of everyday 
living. 

Certainly there are risks for 
the gay person performing in the 
straight arena. Williams tells of 
a show he did at “a very large 
university on Berkeley” where 
part of his audience was the ani¬ 
mal house contingent from fra¬ 
ternity row. Tension was in the air 
and soon the anti-gay taunts 
began. 

However, he was able to control 
the situation by gently using the 
approach that it’s hip, it’s cool to 
accept gays; and it’s square, it’s 
redneck to try to bait them. Soon 
the majority of the audience was 
on his side and the outnumbered 
hecklers sat down and shut up. 

Comedy, whether gay or 
straight, seems to be about equal 
parts material, delivery, and an 
engaging personality. For comics 
like Ammiano, Gomez, and Wil¬ 
liams, who excel in these categor¬ 
ies, facing a straight audience 
with gay humor presents relative¬ 
ly few problems. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 62 





















PG13i PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED -3£- 

Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13 
FROM 

LORIMAB FILM PAW T M E H « 


LORIMAR 

MOTION PICTURES 


RELEASED av COLUMBIA PICTURES 


OPENS JUNE 27th AT 
THEATRES EVERYWHERE. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 63 


































O n the outskirts of Bonn, 
Germany, there is a ridge 
called the Venusberg 
which in reality is a monotonous, 
shabby, swampy area. For myself 
and many others, gay life has be¬ 
come a similar Venusberg, a 
swampland of aborted sensuous¬ 
ness, constrained desire, con¬ 
fused direction, and immobiliz¬ 


ing fear. But it needn’t be so. 
Larry Kramer’s play The Normal 
Heart, which helps us formalize 
our unfocused feelings about 
AIDS, and the recent Gay Pro¬ 
ducer’s Association of America 
Awards Show, which furthered 
the legitimacy of porn entertain¬ 
ment, are only two means we have 
of getting back on solid land. 


Seeing The Normal Heart was 
one of the most unpleasant ex¬ 
periences, but one I wouldn’t do 
without. The production now 
playing at the Berkeley Reper¬ 
tory Theatre (through July 6; 
845-7700) is loud, aggressive, and 
extreme. It’s also brilliantly acted 
and directed, cast with an eye for 
physical beauty, and encyclope¬ 
dic in its issues and emotions. 

The play’s autobiographical 
tale about Kramer is of less im¬ 
port in San Francisco, where he 
is not a well-known local charac¬ 
ter, than in New York, where it 
caused controversy, overshadow¬ 
ing the play with the entangle¬ 
ments of personality. The play 
serves here not as a judging of 
Larry Kramer, but as a catharsis 
and release for our mourning 
and as a forum for debate. It is 
hard for us to articulate our sex¬ 
ual and political feelings about 
AIDS, so we can thank Kramer 
for setting them out in such a hu¬ 
man and theatrical context. 

Hovering like an umbrella over 
all the issues of the play is 
Kramer’s alternately heartbreak¬ 
ing and inspiring picture of what 
plagues do to people, collective¬ 
ly and individually. Some fight, 
for reasons coming as much from 
fear of weakness as from 
strength, and others give in. We 
are sure to find ourselves in many 
parts of The Normal Heart, and 
we can use these pictures to resist 
the fragmentation and confusion 
of a plague. 

A difficult issue explored by 
Kramer is that of silence. We 
could have expected the govern¬ 
ment to be of little assistance, but 
why do many gay people them¬ 
selves resist confronting and 
publicizing the issue? Loss of job 
and insurance, fear of reprisal 
and hysteria—and just plain fear. 
The reach of the closet is great, 
even to those publicly out, and in 
the differing reactions of the 
characters in The Normal Heart 
we can see the unusual and vary¬ 
ing degrees to which our lives are 
circumscribed by being official 
outsiders. 

An important stand of Kra¬ 
mer’s play is his depiction of how 
we hide from the things which 
hurt us. The Kramer character, 
for instance, is so fearful of the 
committments of love that he 
hides behind a stand-offish per¬ 
sonality, incessant political 
causes, and bath house orgies 
which allow the greatest physical 
intimacy with the least amount of 
personal intimacy. The play also 
demonstrates various ways in 
which fear keeps us from facing 
AIDS as squarely as we should. 
Indeed, gay audiences seem to be 
hiding from The Normal Heart 
itself; attendance is lower than 
expected. This may result as 
much from the theater’s “It’s not 
a gay play” advertising as from 
the AIDS Issues Overdose we’re 
suffering; in either case, get over 
it. 

It certainly is discomforting to 
hear Kramer’s repeated attacks 
on the sexual liberation of the 
’70s, even if his harangues help 
clarify our fealings—and not on 
his side of the fence, either. 
Kramer’s notorious summing-up 
novel of the ’70s, Faggots, was not 
so much anti-sex as anti-promis- 
cuous sex, with its thesis that we 
were “using our bodies as barter 
instead of our brains as heart.” 
Kramer expands on that in The 
Normal Heart, claiming promis¬ 
cuity caused the atrophy of our 
emotions. “Men do not just na¬ 


turally not love,” he says. “They 
learn not to.” 

Illuminating as they are, Kra¬ 
mer’s debates on the affects of 
promiscuity swamp The Normal 
Heart's discussion of AIDS. By 
the play’s own admission, this is 
neither an emotional nor civil 
rights issue, but a health issue. 
Even though the play’s discus¬ 
sion of our emotional lives and 
civil rights are passionately in¬ 
tense and well-wrought, the sub¬ 
ject is not the qualification of our 
past sexual habits, but our ongo¬ 
ing responsibility and culpabili¬ 
ty in halting those practices when 
they were found to purvey a dead¬ 
ly disease. Many men still pre¬ 
tend nothing is going on— 
witness the classified ads in this 
paper or the suck-and-fuck which 
occurred upstairs during Febe’s 
closing party. Those who wish to 
fool themselves can be well and 
truly fooled (Populus vult decipi, 
ergo decipiatur), but can they 
keep themselves alive? It’s no 
wonder Kramer rages. 

But if it serves to indict, 
Kramer’s play also strives to in¬ 
spire. The Normal Heart asks us 
not only to take action on the 
AIDS crisis and our own well-be¬ 
ing, but on our identity and 
pride. And that is an issue direct¬ 
ly entwined with our sex lives. As 
long as we are defined only by our 
cocks, says Kramer, we will not 
take our rightful place among 
cultures. If we are more than our 
cocks—which are literally killing 
us—now is the time to prove it, to 
be leaders in creating a new defi¬ 
nition of what it means to be gay. 

Like Lorraine Hansberry’s Les 
Blancs, The Normal Heart is the 
call for a people to be warriors, 
not to bury head and cock in a 
hole, but to take a stand. Depsite, 
and perhaps on account of, its 
hate and anger, The Normal 
Heart is a loving and inspiring 
play. 

★ ★ ★ 


A lthough porno has paid 
only the most marginal 
heed to AIDS, the crea¬ 
tion two years ago of the Gay Pro¬ 
ducers Association of America, a 
group for porn producers, could 
not have been more timely. With 
its intention of providing support 
and guidance for the industry as 
well as halting video piracy and 
providing support in legal situa¬ 
tions, the GPAA is poised for 
what co-founder and officer 


Daniel Holt calls “serious trou¬ 
ble.” The GPAA is sure porn pro¬ 
ducers and outlets will be attack¬ 
ed as soon as bathhouses no 
longer exist. 

The GPAA had only six 
charter members. “We do it 
because we enjoy it and see a 
need for it,” Holt told me. While 
Matt Sterling recently joined the 
group, some industry heavies re¬ 
main aloof. A1 Parker won’t con¬ 
sider it. Falcon Studios, though 
supportive, hasn’t joined, and 
Bill Higgin’s Catalina Studios is 
merely thinking about it, accor¬ 
ding to Holt. He says that is 
because the gay porn business 
has always been splintered; it’s 
not so highly competitive as 
straight porn. “It’s so personal,” 
said Holt, “that no one wants to 
help each other. They feel inde¬ 
structible, both legally and 
healthwise.” 

The GPAA initiated an annual 
awards show last year as its first 
step in raising awareness and in¬ 
dustry standards. This year’s 
show took place two weeks ago at 
the Century Theatre in Los 
Angeles and presented a trough 
full of awards in between lots of 
naked boys dancing. Beefy young 
blond Troy was named Newcomer 
of the Year for his muscular solo 
in Sgt. Swan’s Private Files, and 
Jon King and Lee Ryder won 
Best Erotic Scene for their nas¬ 
ty work in Screen Play. For his 
first film, Tony DeStefano was ac¬ 
claimed Best Sexual Performer 
(well, ok) and Best Actor (from the 
minimalist school) in Inch By 
Inch, the Matt Sterling opus 
which also won Best Film of the 
Year—even though wags have 
told me it’s too cosmetic and its 
boys too pretty. Well, smite me 
with “too pretty,” please. 

Richard Locke was presented 
with a well-deserved Humani¬ 
tarian Award, which he accepted 
before an audience of producers 
who will not employ him because 
he’ll only film safe sex. 

So the GPAA hasn’t quite 
assumed its full leadership poten¬ 
tial. They did offer the strangest 
thing I’ve ever seen on an awards 
show program, however, a tacit 
acknowledgement of the pres¬ 
ence of AIDS in their midst, with 
a “Memorial” list of 20 industry 
names claimed by AIDS. One 
exception—Sam Paskow, aka Big 
Max, who died of a heart attack 
induced by steroid overdose. 
Others on the list include Mike 
(Continued on page 69) 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 64 

































James Carpenter (I.) and Robert Picardo in the Berkeley Reperty Theatre production of The 
Normal Heart (Photo: K. Friedman) 


Larger Issues 


by Stephen Drewes 

I am willing to concede that 
Larry Kramer, author of 
The Normal Heart, may be 
everything his detractors say he 
is. He may indeed be shrill, self- 
interested, over aggressive, and 
fundamentally homophobic. But 
he has written one hell of a piece 
of theater, and I am filled with ad¬ 
miration. 

Before we proceed, I must ad¬ 
mit in all honesty that I’m not the 
least biased person to be com¬ 
menting on this production. I 
read Kramer’s novel, Faggots, in 
1980, and loathed every page of 
it. I have since been informed 
that Kramer intended it to be 
satirical, but from my perch at 
the time, which, in point of dull 
fact, was a miniscule academic 
community on the Eastern Shore 
of Maryland where I was incar¬ 
cerated in a professorship, it was 
simply repellent. Are these the 
sorts of persons, I thought to 
myself, that I’m going to en¬ 
counter when I get back to the 
city? Do I have to spend even a 
moment of my rapidly disap- 
earing youth with people whose 
principle concern in life seems to 
be how to get cum off of flocked 
wallpaper? No, thank you very 
much, I’d rather cram myself 
back in the closet and spend the 
remainder of my days with rusty 
coat hangars and moth balls! 

Just 24 hours before I was 
scheduled to see The Normal 
Heart I learned that one of my fa¬ 
vorite pals, a fellow composed en¬ 
tirely of good humor, sweetness, 
and good sense, has 
Pneumocystis Pneumonia. This 
is the closest AIDS has come to 
my private life, and it is very 
close. Through a fog of grief and 
rage, I wondered if it was going 
to be possible for me to sit 
through a play about AIDS, and 
particularly one written by a man 
whose novel I felt set the image 
of gay men back at least a couple 
of decades. With the help of my 
companion of the evening, who 
promised to remove me the mo¬ 
ment I began to hyperventilate or 
chew up librium like salted 
peanuts, I perservered. I’m very 
glad I did. 

The Normal Heart is by no 
means a perfect play. Many of its 
characters fail to develop, and 
many of its plot turns are contriv¬ 
ed. As has often been noted, it’s 
preachy, and Kramer seems to be 
suggesting that the main 
character, an undisguised self 
portrait, was single-handedly 
responsible for the dissmemina- 
tion of responsible information 
on the nature of the AIDS virus 
to the entire city of New York. 
This strains credulity past the 
breaking point. Moreover, he 
asks us to become concerned 
about relatively minor issues, and 
at inappropriate moments. But 
all these problems become incon¬ 
siderable in the light of what 
Kramer has attempted and what 
he has achieved in this play. 

Kramer is the first playwright 
in my experience since Robert 
Patrick who has attempted to 
portray a group of homosexual 
men who are reasonably well ad¬ 
justed. The guys in The Normal 
Heart are troubled but not con¬ 
trolled by their weaknesses, 
reasonably sensitive to one an¬ 
other’s ne< s, not consumed by 
more than e average portion of 
self hatred, and are, in short, liv¬ 
ing examined lives. They are im¬ 
perfect and real, and it’s about 
time we saw them on the stage. 
Furthermore, he has taken the 


AIDS crisis and related it to an 
even larger idea: the fact that 
health is a political issue and that 
the U.S. is one of only two coun¬ 
tries that does not guarantee its 
citizens adequate health care. 
The self-professed goal of Kra¬ 
mer’s work is to urge the gay 
community to create an identity 
which is not necessarily based on 
sexuality, and to make us aware 
that we are, and should want to 
be, a part of a yet larger com¬ 
munity. By thus expanding the 
concerns of The Normal Heart, 
he has succeeded in doing just 
that. 

The Berkeley Rep’s produc¬ 
tion of The Normal Heart is first 
rate. The acting is arresting 
throughout, which is particular¬ 
ly admirable in that just about 
every character has a tantrum. 
Now tantrums are very tempting 
to performers—they’re lovely op¬ 
portunities to blow off some 
steam and display a little emo¬ 
tional virtuosity. But they’re ter¬ 
ribly hard to control. After all, no 
one likes being yelled at. But 
director M. Burke Walker has 
modulated this production beau¬ 
tifully, and nothing gets out of 
hand. The design team, Michael 
Olich, Derek Duarte, James 
LeBrecht, and Victor Spiegel, 
hasn’t made a wrong move, and 


the entire environment of the 
play perfectly mirrors the script’s 
overall mood of anger and 
frustration. 

I’m rarely moved to tears in the 
theater, but The Normal Heart 
did the trick. I bought a copy of 
the script, which probably won’t 
remain in my library long be¬ 
cause I intend to press it on 


everyone I know—particularly on 
my many straight friends, one of 
whom recently confessed that she 
thinks you can catch AIDS from 
a public pool! 

No matter what your political 
convictions may be, The Normal 
Heart deserves to be seen. You 
may not agree with Larry 
Kramer’s convictions regarding 


appropriate responses to the 
AIDS crisis, but it is our duty as 
responsible theater goers to de¬ 
fend to the death his right to state 
them. • 

The Normal Heart 

Berkeley Repertory 
Theater 
861-6108 



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■AY AREA REPORTER JUNE 2€, 1966 PAGE 65 





















That European Touch 

LaMusica, the New Place Under the Cafe San 
Marcos, Serves Melodies with Its Cuisine 

by Stephen Orewes 

S an Francisco is full of people who love good food and good music, and I always feel I’m laying up for 
myself treasures in heaven when I’m able to point out where one or the other can be found. Imagine 
my delight, then, to discover that the old restaurant below the Cafe San Marcos on Market Street has 
changed hands and become LaMusica. I nfever had anything against the place, mind you. I’m sure it was 
a delightful spot; I never went there. (Do I here a murmur of suprise out there in Readerland? Hell, you’d 
be surprised at the things I’ve never done. Or maybe you wouldn’t. Oh dear . . .) 

The new owners, Pat and David Howell, are the creators of a hugely and justifiably successful chain of 
Italian take-out joints called Auntie Pasta. We had Auntie for dinner last Christmas and, let me tell you, it 
was Yum-O-Rama. Nothing much has changed about the physical plant. The decor is still vaguely Tyrolian; 
the tall gas street lamps are still in place; The Rex Whistler-esque mural still decorates the west wall and, 
in the center of the room, the fountain still plashes. (Huzzah! I’ve waited years to use that word!) 

What the Howells have changed is the purpose of the place. They’ve hired a new chef, trained at LaVarenne 
in Paris, named Michael Ashcraft, hired Music Director Marcie Stapp, and instituted a series of Wednesday 
evening dinner concerts. If we are ever lucky enough to institute a constitutional monarchy in this country, 
the Howells will be promptly knighted. 


NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 



La Musica on Upper Market Street 


;Photo: Rink) 


The evening begins at 7:30, 
and for a reasonable $30 it in¬ 
cludes a menu which is themati- 
allv linked to the musical offer¬ 
ing. LaMusica opened on April 
30 with a concert called “Abso- 
Boomin’-Lutely-Spring,” cele¬ 
brating the music of that season. 
It was followed May 7 by ''From 
One Extreme to the Other,” fea¬ 
turing soprano Cynthia Vaughn 
and bass Gregory Stapp. May 21, 
I attended “Champagne and 
Schnitzel: Music from Vienna, 
which was a stroke of luck for me 
because I’m a hopeless sucker 
for things Fin-de-siecle. Give me 
a feather fan, a flight of stairs and 
a Viennese waltz and I’m happy 
forever. 

My companion of the evening, 


a distinguished connoisseur of 
both melodies and munchies, 
and I started with Emperor’s 
Potato Soup with Parsnips and 
Mushrooms and Liptaver Cheese 
with Toast. We both felt they 
might have been more boldly 
seasoned, a little paprika would 
have done wonders. We moved on 
to Grilled German Sausages with 
Whole Grain Mustard and Grill¬ 
ed Strip Steak with Onion 
Caraway Compote. Both dishes 
were served with perfectly cook¬ 
ed and presented zucchini and 
red cabbage, and could not be 
faulted. The several different 
kinds of sausage, both mild and 
gamey, were particularly note¬ 
worthy. 

Tenor Baker Peebles started 


off the concert with Mozart’s “II 
mio Tesoro” from Don Giovanni. 
Were it possible for a performer 
to be bored with good reviews, 
Peebles would be overwhelmed 
with ennui on reading this. He’s 
one of the best tenors in town, 
and I’ve liked everything I’ve 
seen him do. This evening was no 
exception. He was joined by an 
expressive and attractive soprano 
named Katya Roemer, who add¬ 
ed greatly to the ambiance by 
having the good taste to wear a 
sea emerald green ball gown with 
matching evening gloves to the 
shoulder. She also opened with 
Mozart: “Dove Sono” from The 
Marriage of Figaro. Peebles went 
on to do lovely things with 
Beethoven’s “Adelaide” and 


Brahams’ “Wie bist du, meine 
Koniger.’ ’ Roemer added two lilt¬ 
ing songs by Schubert and Wolf, 
and they got together for a 
number of songs and duets from 
The Merry Widow (never trust a 
man who doesn’t like Franz 
Lehar), Countess Maritza, and 
Die Fledermaus, closing with the 
duet “Wien, du Stadt Meiner 
Traume.” 

By this time I was floating 
blissfully in the general direction 
of the ceiling. I decended for a 
spectacular glass of Cakebread 
Chardonnay and an Apfel Stru- 
delfulle that gilded the lily. 

When I can maneuver myself 
into an economic position in 
which I can give myself a weekly 
treat, La Musica is where you will 


find me. Coming up is Very Ver¬ 
di And Verismo” with soprano 
Joan Jacques and tenor Keith 
Purdy, and July 2 is With a 
Song In My Heart: An American 
Sampler,” featuring classic 
American songs from : ole Porter 
to Gian Car) Menotti. 

If you happen to be in love with 
anyone at the moment, La Musica 
is the spot for the two of you. Be¬ 
ing dined and delighted there is 
an experience so completely 
European that upon emerging I 
was actually startled to find 
myself in the middle of Boy’s 
Town on a busy Wednesday night. 
I had half expected to find myself 
on the Unter Den Linden, hail a 
passing fiacre, and take off at a 
brisk trot for the Schonbrunn. • 


Cabaret at a Glance 



Legends —Susan Parks (I.) and Val Diamond (r.) frame Mary 
Martin and Carol Channing when Beach Blanket Babylon 
celebrated its 4,000th performance (Photo: R. Morris) 


by Stephen Drewes 

I n a recent article in the New 
York Times, Mel Gussow re¬ 
ferred to Michael Feinstein 
as “an extremely personable and 
knowledgeable archivist and 
entertainer.” That’s swell, Mel, as 
far as it goes, and from that con¬ 
servative organ it probably 
amounts to a rave. But for my mon¬ 
ey, Feinstein’s an awful lot more. 

He’s a performer of palpable 
charm who understands and em¬ 
braces the virtue of simplicity. Al¬ 
though he never allows his own 
personality to dominate a lyric, 
you can’t forget for a minute 
who’s interpreting it. He’s a first- 
rate pianist whose arrangements 
explore and illuminate his mate¬ 
rial, giving new life to such stan¬ 
dards as “I’ll Be Seeing You” 
and “Thanks for the Memory.” 
Feinstein is equally comfortable 
with the lyrical and satirical—at 
his most jaunty he reminds me of 
early Tom Lehrer, and I doubt 
anyone has sung a love song with 
greater tenderness and sensitivi¬ 
ty since Frank Sinatra was very 
young. 

Feinstein’s opening at the 
Plush Room May 13 was so glit- 
terate it was nearly intimidating. 
Everyone was there, my dear, and 
well they should have been. It was 
a wonderful show—close to 20 
songs, ranging from old friends 
to hitherto undiscovered gems. 

Teresa Tudury may be the fun¬ 
niest lady in town; she is obvious¬ 
ly one of the most widely talent¬ 


ed. A denizen of North Beach 
(“The Pope is my landlord”), 
Tudury is a singer of note, a com¬ 
poser and lyricist, a guitarist, and 
an hilarious stand-up comedian. 

To judge from the large and 


very mixed crowd at Buckley’s 
May 9, she appeals to just about 
everyone, which is not surprising 
because there doesn’t seem to be 
much she can’t do within the 
parameters of her very distinct 


personality. She has a large, dark 
voice which, although she is 
never derivative, makes me think 
of what might have happened if 
Buffy St. Marie had taken lessons 
from Nina Simone.And she can 
scat, too. I favor her own stuff: 
“Eagle,” “I’m Just a Bellhop in 
the Hotel of Your Love,” and 
“The Last One Alive” are as 
amazing as they are on target. 
She does lovely things with old 
faves like “Melancholy Baby,” 
and if she did none of the above 
she would still win my everlasting 
gratitude for reviving the won¬ 
derful theater songs of Beatrice 
Lillie. I’ve waited years to hear 
someone do “There Are Fairies 
at the Bottom of Our Garden.” 
How appropriate that it should 
be Tudury, who seems to be 
following in Miss Lillie’s 
footsteps and building a reputa¬ 
tion as a mistress of merry 
madness. 

A sage esthete once comment¬ 
ed that all great works of art 
possess a certain quality of in¬ 
evitability. “But of course!” the 
viewer remarks on first exposure, 
“that’s the way it’s supposed to 
be done.” If you’ve never had this 
lovely experience, rush right 
down to Stanley Eichelbaum’s 
new restaurant, the Cafe Ma¬ 
jestic, where Weslia Whitfield 
and her partners Mike Greensill 
and paul Breslin are performing 
on Tuesday nights. Whitfield and 
the Majestic—both warm, styl¬ 
ish, elegant, and unpretentious 
—are made for one another. 
They’re the closest thing to Bob¬ 
by Short at the Cafe Carlisle or 
Barbara Cook at Reno Sweeney’s 
San Francisco has to offer, and 


simply, not to be missed. 

Beach Blanket Babylon 
celebrated its 4,000th perform¬ 
ance May 18, making it the 
longest-running musical revue in 
theater history, surpassing even 
The Ziegfield Follies. 

I’m glad to report that Steve 
Silver, after a slight, shall we say, 
slumpette, is happily back in full 
stride. BBB Goes Around the 
World has all the delightful daf- 
finess of early editions and more. 
We are offered tap dancing sushi 
(“If You Knew Sushi . . .”), a 
chorus of mummies (“Mam¬ 
my”), a line of meatballs (“Great 
Balls of Fire”), and garbage cans 
doing, of course, the CanCan. 

Guests of Honor at the gala 
performance were Carol Chan¬ 
ning and Mary Martin, who were 
charming and funny and con¬ 
firmed my suspicion that Martin 
has the prettiest skin and Chan¬ 
ning the largest face I’ve ever 
seen. Charlotte Maillard, wearing 
a Dianne Feinstein bow, present¬ 
ed Silver with a proclamation 
from the mayor, remarking that 
although Silver may have 
thought this was its 4,000th per¬ 
formance, Cyril Magnin has ac¬ 
tually seen BBB 6,000 times. The 
honored guests were presented 
with gifts that appeared to be 
made out of the largest rhine¬ 
stones ever minted, Peter Pan 
flew, Dolly Levi sang “Hello Car¬ 
ol,” Val Diamond stopped the 
show as usual, and, luckily, the 
evening ended on a note just this 
side of euphoria. I say “luckily” 
only because otherwise none of 
us would have been able to navi¬ 
gate through the Broadway Tun¬ 
nel! • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 66 











The AIDS Show 

Epstein/Adair Video Premieres Tonight 


S. Warren 

I ’ve written so much about 
Theatre Rhinoceros’ AIDS 
Show, I didn’t think I had 
anything left to say. I also didn’t 
think I had any tears left to cry at 
the piece, but the video, The 
AIDS Show: Artists Involved 
with Death and Survival, 
dredged more of both from me. 
The health crisis has brought out 
hidden resources in all of us. 

That’s one of the points Peter 
Adair (Word Is Out) and Robert 
Epstein (The Times of Harvey 
Milk) wanted to make when they 
decided to collaborate on a work 
about AIDS. They learned that 
Theatre Rhinoceros had beat 
them to it, and when they saw the 
show they realized they had 
found their subject. 

The musical-comedy-dramatic 
revues The AIDS Show and its 
revised, updated successor Un¬ 
finished Business: The New 
AIDS Show gave a kaleidoscopic 
view of societal responses, pri¬ 
marily but not exlcusively within 
the gay community, to the first 
five years of living and dying with 
AIDS. Most of the video is made 
up of excerpts in edited form. Two 
of my favorite monologues, Spice 
Queen and Mama’s Boy, eulogies 
by a friend (Doug Holsclaw) and 
a mother (Deena Davis) respec¬ 
tively, who have lost people to 
AIDS, have received minor, al¬ 
most imperceptible cuts. More 
damage is done to other sketches: 


'Watch the show 
tonight, on TV or in 
the studio. Tape it 
and watch it again. 
Show it to everyone 
you love/ 


To Tell the Truth loses its punch 
line, which wasn’t too punchy 
anyway,and Ellen Brook Davis’ 
The Nurse seems more 
homophobic out of context. 

There are interviews with the 
directors of the stage shows, 
Leland Moss and Holsclaw, in 
which they tell of their own 
experiences with people with 
AIDS. Other of the shows’ actors 
and writers also have stories to 
tell, and co-director Adair gets 
personal in his narration. I 
confess to a moment of turnoff at 
first, until I reminded myself that 
AIDS is about people. The most 
dangerous thing we can do is 
allow it to be depersonalized, to 
divorce our emotions from our 
reactions to governmental bu¬ 
reaucracy and indifference, the 
insistence of some gay men on 
continuing to play Russian rou¬ 
lette with unsafe sex and health 
practices, and other concerns. 

The AIDS Shows have been 
invaluable to all who have seen 
them, helping us cope with the 
AIDS crisis by maintaining a 
sense of humor as well as com¬ 
passion for those who may be 
coping a bit differently from us. 

During the making of the vid¬ 
eo the entire show was taped. It 
will be available for rental, as will 
this documentary after its initial 


airings. Write “The A.I.D.S. 
Show,” P.O. Box 77043, San 
Francisco, CA 94107 for informa¬ 
tion. Call Theatre Rhinoceros 
about additional live perform¬ 
ances this week and in August. 

Whatever your feelings about 
KQED-TV, it should be pointed 
out that the station committed 
$40,000 in post-production serv¬ 
ices to this project a year ago, 
enabling it to be made. The oth¬ 
er $95,000 came from grants and 
donations. 

Besides broadcasting the show 
tonight and next Monday, KQED 
is offering it to PBS. The station 
has already said that if the 
network rejects it they will 
transmit it to affiliated stations 
themselves via satellite. 

That brings up the question of 
whether the rest of the country is 
ready to handle gay reality as 
vividly presented in The AIDS 
Show. The probable answer is: 
No, but they’d better get ready. 



A scene from Inevitable Love 


Some of the language has been 
softened for the video, but the “F 
word” comes through loud and 
clear a few times. Epstein says the 
cast was given the option of 
changing their lines, with the 
understanding that they’d be 
more likely to get on television 
with more moderate language. “I 
think they changed them when 
they remembered to,” he 
speculates. 


I can’t emphasize too strongly 
how proud I am of everyone 
involved, from the late Allen 
Estes who conceived the show 
before he was diagnosed with 
AIDS, through Epstein, Adair, 
and company who have captured 
its essence on video. 

Watch the show tonight, on TV 
or in the studio. Tape it and watch 
it again. Show it to everyone you 
love. Tell out of town friends to 


lobby their local PBS stations to 
broadcast it. Until we can wipe 
out AIDS itself we have to pursue 
the battle against the fear of 
AIDS. The AIDS Show: Artists 
Involved with Death and Surviv¬ 
al is one of the most potent 
weapons we have in that struggle. 

KQED-TV, 6/26, 9:30 p.m. 
and 6/30, 11 p.m. 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 67 



















NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Gays Face Closet 
Lives in Israel 


by Paul Wotman 

Finding I was to be the only gay person traveling to Israel 
with Sup. Jack Molinari and Sup. Willie Kennedy, I im¬ 
mediately checked my Spartacus Guide to see where I might 
have some fun. The Spartacus Guide stated that "an at¬ 
mosphere of persecution" now exists for gays in Israel and 
“strongly” suggested that “gays stay away from Israel and 
spend their holidays in more enjoyable venues." Sounded like 
a real good time. 

Checking further in the guide, the gay spots listed for 
Jerusalem were a Turkish baths, a park, and "facilities." The 
listing for Tel Aviv was not much better with a park, a beach, 
and one bar mentioned as meeting places. 

I was able to obtain the name 
of the head of the only gay group 
in Israel, the Society for the Pro¬ 
tection of Personal Rights. An¬ 
other friend gave me the name of 
a friend in Tel Aviv. Before we 
left, our delegation gathered at a 
party hosted by the consul gene¬ 
ral of Israel in San Francisco. My 
invitation arrived addressed to 
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wotman. I 
thought this could be a long trip. 

I took my boyfriend to the party. 

Before leaving I also talked 
with our travel agent who told me 
the Israeli government wanted to 
know a little bit about each of the 
members of our tour. I wondered 
if the Israeli government would 
let me into the country if they 
knew I was gay. I also wondered 
if they would require a blood test 
to see if I was HTLV-3 positive. 

Forging ahead, I told the travel 
agent I was active in BALIF, the 
lesbian and gay attorneys associ¬ 
ation, the Alliance, the lesbian 
and gay political action commit¬ 
tee, various gay democratic clubs, 
and GGBA, the lesbian and gay 
business association. There was 
no problem obtaining a visa and 
once in Israel, I found that my 
name on the various lists of our 
delegation given to government 
officials was marked merely “at¬ 
torney.’ ’ 

The Israeli government had ar¬ 
ranged for us to travel through¬ 
out Israel with a member of the 
foreign ministry. The 19 of us 
spent ten days together in an 
air-conditioned Mercedes bus 
touring the country. We came to 
know each other well. 

Upon arriving in San Fran¬ 
cisco’s sister city, Haifa, we 
toured the extravagant world 
headquarters of the Baha’i relig¬ 
ion. I asked a Baha’i guide what 
was the Baha’i attitude toward 
gay people. He told me he 
thought I would have the need to 
ask that question. Looking at 
him, I thought he had the need 
to answer it. 

In a meeting with hospital ad¬ 
ministrators, I asked about AIDS 
cases in Israel. The administrator 
reported there were 23 AIDS 
cases in Israel and that research 
was being done at the Weizmann 
Institute of Science located just 
south of Tel Aviv. Weizmann is 
doing important AIDS research 
and there is an American Com¬ 
mittee for the Weizmann In¬ 
stitute located in San Francisco 
which helps to fund the Israeli re¬ 
search. 

We also met with the publisher 




Some of the more interesting Israeli sites: four or five 
soldiers lounging 


are not organized enough to be 
considered. Although they serve 
in the military as all others do, ac¬ 
cording to several gay men I talk¬ 
ed to, they are not eligible for pro¬ 
motion or career military service. 

Lesbians and gay men obvious¬ 
ly do exist in Israel. I had a drink 
with one of our hotel employees, 
talked with a coffee salesman 
along the major Tel Aviv shopp¬ 
ing boulevard, caught the eye and 
conversed with a young Israeli 
soldier, and visited Israel’s only 
gay bar. 


ness who now lived in Paris and 
New York. 

The hotel employee told me 
that although he was gay, he was 
thinking of marrying a woman 
because it would be easier. He 
thought living with another man 
even as a roommate, after his 
mid-twenties was too suspicious, 
would hurt his career, and was 
not done as far as he knew. 

The Israel I saw was an his¬ 
torical and religious place. From 
Masada where 900 Jews commit- 


The attitude of the newspaper editor 
and the Knesset member seemed typical 
of the prevailing unthinking, unknowl- 
edgeable, unconcerned attitude I found 
towards gays in Israel/ 


Paul Wotman at Caesarea, a centuries-old Roman town by 
the sea, here with a large Roman warrior 


of the largest English language 
newspaper, the Jerusalem Post. I 
asked him whether his paper fea¬ 
tured stories on gay people in 
Israel and the status of the socie¬ 
ty’s attitude towards gays. He ap¬ 
peared very uncomfortable about 
having beeen asked this ques¬ 
tion. He told us the subject was 
not an issue in Israel although he 
personally had once known a ho¬ 
mosexual. So much for media 
coverage of gays and lesbians in 
Israel. 

Subsequently, we also met with 
a member of the Knesset, Israel’s 
parliament. When I asked about 
the legal status of gay and lesbian 
people in Israel, he said he was 
not sure and asked his female 
aide. She knew the answer imme¬ 
diately— homosexual sex in 
Israel is illegal. 

A minor party has introduced 
a bill to decriminalize gay sex. All 
Israelis 18 to 21 have to serve in 
the military and apparently gays 
are no exception. The head of the 
National Health Services said it 
was acceptable for gays to serve 
in the army. However, any high 
ranking officers are discharged 
and other gay personnel cannot 


obtain security clearances. 

Other than the Society for Pro¬ 
tection of Personal Rights which 
has about 100 members, there 
are no gay groups in Israel. 

Although homosexual acts are 
illegal, successive Israeli at¬ 
torneys general have stated that 
consenting sexual acts in private 
will not be prosecuted. 

On April 1, 1986, HTLV-3 
testing began in Israel. The 
testing is not anonymous and the 
doctor may not know beforehand 
that the patient is gay. The head 
of the gay group with whom I 
spoke did not at first seem con- 
cerrfed that HTLV-3 testing was 
not anonymous. He began, how¬ 
ever, to realize this could become 
a problem and was bothered that 
gay people could not identify gay 
doctors and other professionals 
from whom they could seek treat¬ 
ment or other services. 

The attitude of the newspaper 
editor and the Knesset member 
seemed typical of the prevailing 
unthinking, unknowledgeable, 
unconcerned attitude I found to¬ 
wards gays in Israel. Gay people 
are not considered important and 


The first night I went however, 
was “ladies night,” and though 
I indicated I did not mind the 
company of fifty lesbians, I was 
not admitted. When I returned 
the next evening at about 10:30, 
I was virtually the only one there. 
By midnight the bar was slowly 
filling up, though of the three 
people I talked with, two were 
from the United States and one 
was an Israeli in the fashion busi- 


tes suicide rather than submit to 
Roman rule some 2,000 years 
ago, to the Via Dolorosa where 
Christ carried his cross, to the 
Moslem church where Mohamm¬ 
ed ascended to Heaven, history 
and religion prevail. Of course 
the extremists in any of these 
religions condemn gay people 
which must in some mamnner set 
the tone for the quiet, closeted 
gay lives I saw there. • 



Paul Wotman and Sup. John Molinari at the Masada ruins 
Molinari's T-shirt says 'San Francisco' in Hebrew 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 68 
















Off And On The Air! 

Gay Videos Complement Film Festival 

by Steve Warren 


T he video portion of the 
San Francisco Interna¬ 
tional Lesbian and Gay 
Film Festival has always been 
something of a step-sibling, 
struggling for attention against 
the more glorious feature films. 
This will probably remain true 
until the Video Festival becomes 
a separate entity with dates of its 
own. 

Being cheaper and more ac¬ 
cessible than film, video allows 
both the talented and the un- 
talented to complete their pro¬ 
jects with less risk. At least two 
examples of the work of the 
talented will be on display in this 
year’s Festival. 

The AIDS Show: Artists In¬ 
volved with Death and Survival 
(see accompanying review) will be 
shown at a benefit party tonight 
at 5:30 and 8:30 at the KQED-TV 
studios. Wine, a light buffet, and 
music by Tropical Sounds will be 
included for a $10 donation, or 
you can stay home and watch the 
program on Channel 9 at 9:30 
and send the money directly to 
your favorite AIDS group. 

Coming of Age, Marc Huestis’ 
tribute to San Francisco actor- 
director Chuck Solomon, will be 
“sneak previewed”in semi-final 
form tomorrow night at 7. Chuck, 
who has AIDS, is an inspiration 
as he tells about his first 40 years 
and celebrates his birthday at a 
unifying, healing party. 

The rest of the videos are un¬ 
previewed. Most are either AIDS- 
related or safe-sex erotica. In the 
latter category is Henry Mach’s 
feature Inevitable Love with 
Casey Donovan and Jon King, 


Karr 


which shows tomorrow night at 9. 

All of Saturday’s shows are 
free. Festival Director Michael 
Lumpkin highlights Hero of My 
Own Life, a portrait of New York 
stage [The Faggot ] and cabaret 
performer David Summers, who 
has AIDS; The Awakening of 


Nancy Kaye, made by lesbian 
Ann Hershey, which deals with 
death and dying; and Midwes¬ 
tern Skidmarks, a comic piece 
which Lumpkin says makes es¬ 
pecially creative use of the video 
medium. 

Except for tonight’s KQED 
show, the videos will all be 
presented in a large new screen¬ 
ing room at Video Free Amer¬ 
ica, 442 Shotwell near 18th. Call 
431-9227 for ticket and schedule 
information about the videos as 
well as the films of the Festival’s 
closing weekend. • 



bert Epstein (I.) and Peter Adair 


(Photo: S. Warren) 


(Continued from page 64) 

Davis, Mandingo, Beau Mat¬ 
thews, Colt’s Erroll, Val Martin, 
Joseph Yale, David Connors, and 
several theater owners and porn 
producers. 

I don’t list these names as a 
bummer, but as a call to those 
who live in Venusberg. Bonn’s 
swamp was named erroneously; 
Venn, meaning swamp, was mis- 
pelled, and the popular nick¬ 
name stuck. As the Venusberg 
carries its name in error, many 
men perpetuate in error the 
popular behavior of the past. 
This has caused a fragmentation 
of our lives, which can be cor¬ 
rected only by our own insistence. 

“The integration is in the ac¬ 
tion,” wrote South African poet 
Roy Campbell, so I recommend, 
beside The Normal Heart, the ac¬ 
tion of the following groups and 
individuals for aid in the up¬ 
coming week in turning the 
swampland to solid ground 
again. 

• The Happy Hour, with per¬ 
formers Doris Fish, Miss X, San- 
dahl and others, at 181 Eddy this 
weekend. Queens to the rescue! 

• A Post Parade JO Party with 
the SF Jacks, June 29, 4-8 p.m., 
$6 donation, at 10 Rogers Street, 
off Folsom near Eighth. 

• Armistead Maupin for his 
daily prose and James Broughton 
for his occassional verse, includ¬ 
ing the Gay Games Anthem. 

“There’s so much death 
around,” says Larry Kramer in 
his play. Let’s continue to pull life 
out of every source we can. Best 
wishes for gay pride all year. • 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 69 


















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SUPER HAPPY HOUR 5PM-8PM 
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High Energy Dancing with DJ WARREN SANFORD 


"BRINGING THE MAGIC BACK TO POLK STREET" 

1548 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109 (415)441*8413 


Where Has the Political 
Theater Gone? 


by Stephen Drewes 


M alvinaSong is an in¬ 
timate and cheerful little 
show about an extraordi¬ 
nary woman, Berkeley acti¬ 
vist/songwriter Malvina Rey¬ 
nolds. Currently in production at 
the versatile Studio Eremos 
under the Artaud on Alabama 
Street, MalvinaSong opens with 
a documentary film on Reynolds 
called “Love It Like A Fool.” 
Made during the last year of 
Reynold’s life by filmmaker 
Susan Wengraf, “Love” gives us 
glimpses of Reynolds in concert, 
kitchen, and conversation. 

Like any ’60s survivor, I’ve 
known her music for years. We 
were raised, after all, on “Little 
boxes on the hillside, little boxes 
made of ticky-tacky...” But what 
I hadn’t realized about this lady, 
and what Wengraf’s sensitive 
film makes very clear, is how 
compellingly attractive Malvina 
Reynolds was. She was not only 


politically correct, but graceful, 
funny, spontaneous, modest, and 
deeply committed to establishing 
a professional career which not 
only started quite late in her life, 
but was more or less closed to 
women at that time. 

I mean, Malvina was writing 
before Ronnie Gilbert was 
around, and that goes back to the 
days when folk music was sung by 
just plain folks. In the film, 
Reynolds talks a bit about dying. 
She hoped, she said, to go quick¬ 
ly, “in a puff of smoke,” and 
that’s exactly what she did. If you 
send it out, you get it back. 

The second half consists of 
some 30 or so of Reynolds’ songs 
sung by three very interesting 
ladies, Chris Cone, Nina Egert, 
and Robin Klikstein, who accom¬ 
pany themselves and each other 
on piano, guitar, and dulcimer. 
They do a fine job, and I don’t 
doubt Malvina would be pleased. 


Nina Egert (I.), Robin Klickstein, and Chris Cone in MalvinaSong 

(Photo: S. Kitayanagi) 


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Some of the numbers were old 
friends—I hadn’t heard the 
“From Way Up Here” in more 
than 20 years, and Nina Egert’s 
haunting rendition brought back 
the waning days of the Beats with 
poignancy. Robin Klickstein is a 
lot of woman with a lot of voice 
who does well with all her mate¬ 
rial, but particularly with Rey¬ 
nold’s best-known song, “Turn 


Around.” (Actually, my compa¬ 
nion of the evening referred to 
Kilckstein as “a poor man’s Val 
Diamond,” but I don’t see what 
economics has to do with it.) 
Chris Cone has a lovely soprano 
and sings “Ring Like A Bell” 
with such clarity and purity the 
song emerges as a sort of an¬ 
them. I very nearly saluted. 

The group has been directed 


Legendary Ladies 


by David-Alex Nahmod 

T he Buriel Clay Memorial 
Theatre is a small, inti¬ 
mate theater in the West¬ 
ern Addition Cultural Center. 
Their current, rather modest pro¬ 
duction is one that has received 
virtually no publicity, yet it is a 
show that deserves to be seen. 

A Tribute to the Finest is a one- 
woman show in every sense of the 
word. Bettie Blount conceived, 
researched, wrote, directed, and 
starred in this tribute, in which 
she pays homage, through song, 
dance, and dramatic monologues 
to her singing idols. 

Pearl Bailey, Billie Holiday, 
Bessie Smith, Dinah Washing¬ 
ton, Mahalia Jackson, apd Jose¬ 
phine Baker. These are the legen¬ 
dary ladies who inspired Bettie 
Blount to pursue a career in per¬ 
forming, and may I be so bold as 
to say she is a singer on a par with 
those she chooses to honor. 


Blount wisely does not attempt 
impressions of the ladies. Instead 
she enacts dramatic monologues 
in which she plays them, and con¬ 
cludes each sketch by singing 
their signature songs, but always 
with her own inimitable persona 
stamped on each scene. 

'Blount wisely does 
not attempt impres¬ 
sions of the ladies/ 

I felt the pain and anguish of 
the drug-ridden “Lady Day,” 
Billie Holiday, and saw the sad¬ 
ness in her when she sang “God 
Bless the Child.” The stage is 
then filled with joy when it is tak¬ 
en over by the sassy, brassy Pearl 
Bailey. And the theater shook 
from the power of Blount’s voice 
when, swathed in white robes as 
Mahalia Jackson, she sang the 


Concert for GGII 

Rick Bohner, one of the Gay 
Games II swimming co-chairs, is 
also a classical pianist. He will 
perform in an evening of classics 
along with tenor Sean Martin- 
field and pianist Scott Foglesong 
to benefit Gay Games II. The 
program includes works by 
Chopin, Lehar, Liszt, Rachman- 
ioff, Schubert, and Strauss. The 
donation at the door is $10, and 
tickets are on sale at Headlines 
and the Gay Games office at 526 
Castro St. The concert will be 
held at the First Unitarian 
Church at Franklin and Geary 
Streets. Call 566-6496 for more 
information. • 


1986 Community 
Awards 

The Gay Community Awards 
nominees will be announced to¬ 
night, June 26, at the Eagle at an 
8 p.m. beer bust, which costs $6. 
The 1986 Gay Community 
Awards will be held July 13 in the 
Green Room of the War Memor¬ 
ial Building, along with the in¬ 
troduction of candidates for 
Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. 
The doors will open at 6 p.m. • 


Mixed Chorus 
Stays Active 

The Lesbian/Gay Chorus of 
San Francisco under the direc¬ 
tion of Roger Pettyjohn con¬ 
tinues its active 1986 Spring/ 
Summer schedule. May 18, the 
chorus gave a very successful 
benefit concert for G.L.O.E., 
Gay/Lesbian Outreach to Elders. 
Music included works by Leonard 
Bernstein, Randall Thompson, 
Paul Simon, Marvin Hamlish, 
and Michael Gore. 

A portion of the proceeds from 
the Lesbian/Gay Chorus’ March 
concert was given to the Statue of 
Liberty Restoration Fund. A very 
kind letter and certificate was 
sent to the chorus stating that the 
volunteers and staff of the Foun¬ 
dation wished to thank the chor¬ 
us for its generous contribution 
toward the restoration and pres¬ 
ervation of the Statue of Liberty 
and Ellis Island. 

The chorus is working very 
hard this Summer on many musi¬ 
cal endeavors. Several more con¬ 
certs are scheduled for June 27 
and Aug. 1 and 5. For more infor¬ 
mation contact Lesbian/Gay 
Chorus of San Francisco, 5874 
Castro St., San Francisco 94114, 
or call 566-6496. • 


by Robert MacDougall, who has 
kept the stage movement varied 
and interesting. He has, however, 
permitted one directorial faux 
pas which may seem petty but 
always rankles my critical ass. He 
has allowed these gals to indulge 
in a near orgy of affection for one 
another. There is far too much 
meaningful smiling, patting of 
backs, and general gestures of de¬ 
light in the dear nearness of one 
another. I’ve been in the theater 
all my adult life. Eve dear, this is 
Addison! 

Despite this tiny flaw, 
MalvinaSong is a delightful eve¬ 
ning of politics and music, and I 
am as deeply appreciative of it as 
I am of Rap Master Ronnie, and 
for the same reasons. We live in 
a decade when our government is 
a walking caricature, but where, 
oh where, is all the political the¬ 
ater? Is anybody there? Does any¬ 
body care? Well, Malvina did, 
and these folks do, and we’re the 
richer for it. • 


Malvina Song 

Studio Eremos 
530-6134 


gospel classic “Soon I Will Be 
Done.” 

Unfortunately, Bettie Blount is 
not as accomplished a director as 
she is a performer, and the show 
suffers a bit from poor direction. 
During her many costume 
changes, the lights dim and an 
off-stage, pre-recorded voice tells 
us about the next lady she is to 
play. Some of these narrations go 
on for as long as ten minutes, and 
the stage remains bare during 
these periods, while the band 
plays on and on. The show is in 
need of a good director who 
would have known how to keep 
the stage alive during the lapses 
between scenes. 

Bettie Blount is a superb and 
deeply emotional singer, and I’ve 
no doubt she will go far in her ca¬ 
reer, and she deserves the sup¬ 
port of San Francisco theater¬ 
goers. All she needs is a little 
direction to help better mold her 
onstage personality. • 

A Tribute to the Finest 

Buriel Clay Memorial Theatre 
Through June 28; 921-7976 


Royal Coronation 

The royal coronation of the 
Grand Duke and Grand Duchess 
will be held at Bimbo’s Aug. 9, 
but before that, here’s what you 
need to know. July 1 at 9 p.m. is 
the deadline for applications. 
They should be turned in at the 
Galleon, and are available at the 
Bay Area Reporter offices, 
located at 1528 15th Street. 

July 2 the review board will re¬ 
view applicants for Grand Duke 
and Duchess at 7 p.m. at the 
Stallion. The candidates will be 
introduced at the 1986 Gay Com¬ 
munity Awards July 13 in the 
Green Room of the War Memor¬ 
ial Building. The all-candidates 
nights will be as follows: July 15 
at 8 p.m. at the Gangway; July 22 
at 8 p.m. at the Kokpit; and July 
29 at 8 p.m. at the Village. 

The vote will take place Aug. 2. 
S.F. ID is required, and the voting 
will be tabulated by a licensed 
CPA. Aug. 7 the in-town awards 
will take place at Amelia’s at 
8 p.m., Aug. 8 the out-of-town 
awards will take place at 8 p.m. at 
M&M Productions, 10 Rodgers, 
and Aug. 9 will be the cororna- 
tion. • 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 70 


























jjllJf 


||J 



Tricking Out 




M y, how times have chang¬ 
ed! Five years ago, San 
Francisco’s gay couples 
Bad such wide-open marriages 
one wondered if anyone ever 
stayed home long enough to 
feather the nest. However, the 
pressures of the current health 
crisis have altered gay life so 
substantially that old-fashioned 
social values—like fidelity— 
seem to be regaining their long- 
lost virtue. If, like former Presi¬ 
dent Jimmy Carter, gay San Fran¬ 
ciscans must limit their sexual 
sins to their hearts and minds, 
then at least they deserve some 
credit for doing a damned good 
job of controlling their lust by 
keeping matters firmly in hand. 

For those who are married, 
this may be easier said than done. 
All too often, sexual boredom can 
cause married partners to seek 
out greener pastures. Whether or 
not a person actually consum¬ 
mates his appetite for a stran¬ 


ger’s charms, the mere fact that 
his affections have wandered can 
send a jealous lover up the wall. 
In cases where a lecherous old 
fool ends up learning a valuable 
lesson in humility, the dramatic 
results can be quite amusing and 
harmless. Often, the audience 
delights in a happy ending. 

However, in many more situa¬ 
tions, familiarity breeds con¬ 
tempt. When a jealous lover’s 
range turns to violence or betray¬ 
al, the results are often devastat¬ 
ing. 

SUCH AN ITALIAN STALLION 

Stool pigeons never fail to 
cause trouble, and santuzza’s sex¬ 
ual frustration over Turridu’s in¬ 
fidelities always get the best of 
her. Perhaps that’s why any per¬ 
formance of Mascagni’s Caval- 
leria Rusticana can usually be 
rated by how violently the prima 
donna chews the scenery. At this 
summer’s revival of Jean-Pierre 



I ’ve been kicking ideas a- 
round for days, anticipating 
this column to celebrate 
Pride Week from the standpoint 
of the classical music scene. 
Since homophobia strikes every 
walk of life, I thought it might 
prove informative to rake some 
muck and lay bare atrocities at 
the Conservatory of Music or 
backstage at Davies Hall, but 
truth is, music may well be the 
one field of creative endeavor 
allowing gay people to come out 
and still succeed. 

Regardless of attitudes at the 
Opera or Ballet, instrumentalists 
are primarily judged on talent 
and dedication. Armistead Mau- 
pin tells, amusingly, of former 
boss Kurt Herbert Adler’s 
Neanderthal prejudices and we 
needn’t look further than Presi¬ 
dent Reagan’s son Ron for 
evidence of stereotyping in the 
world of dance, but musicians 
seem able to survive without the 
closet. 

There are incidents of bigotry. 
Gordon Getty’s idiotic remarks 
on Shakespeare managed to find 
print in a Symphony program, 
but then Getty is rich and mon¬ 
ey can buy performance for sec¬ 
ond rate composition and pub¬ 
lish churlish views as well. The 
Symphony’s organization is 
generally more enlightened. Mu¬ 
sic remains the great commun¬ 
icator, transcending moral 
platitudes or sexual orientation. 

I recently talked with a friend 
and discovered he’s in the great 
San Francisco Symphony Chor¬ 
us, under the direction of Vance 
George. I’ve been enjoying his 
work all season and didn’t even 
know he was there. Working a 
full-time, non-musical job, he still 
manages to study, practice, re¬ 
hearse, and perform. Quietly, but 
emphatically gay, he seems to 
epitomize the lifestyle of so many 
musicians. 

Of course, the Chorus would 
be literally decimated if the gay 
singers left. The orchestra itself 
has a number of openly gay mem¬ 
bers. As for the audience, any arts 
organization which ignores or 


takes for granted the homosexu¬ 
al dollar is committing financial 
suicide. 

As the film industry flounders 
in a climate that produces tragic 
closet cases like Rock Hudson, 
the music scene allows its 
members to be artists first and 
homosexual second. It’s true 
ensemble players enjoy a certain 
degree of anonymity, permitting 
more freedom, but I seriously 
doubt a talented soloist would be 
denied opportunity. 

There remains a need for gay 
performing societies. What 
would we do without the chorus¬ 
es or bands joyfully proclaiming 
our unique contributions? San 
Francisco is blessed with the ex¬ 
cellent Society of Lesbian and 
Gay Composers, and there will 
always be a place for their sepa¬ 
rate voices. Still, in the years 
following Stonewall and facing, 
as we do now, a grave and fright¬ 
ening health crisis, the import¬ 
ance of reminding others of our 
common humanity is crucial. 

Coming out appears to be the 
most basic of first steps. The 
average musician must find a cer¬ 
tain nostalgia for the closet, when 
simply making a secure living is 
so difficult, but this is no time for 
caution. Our very lives depend¬ 
ing on shattering stereotypes and 
ignorance. I do not favor a dron¬ 
ing or dramatic approach, but 
the simple fact of our being must 
be accepted. 

Absorbed in a chamber recit¬ 
al at Herbst Theatre last week, I 
was struck by the gentle feeling 
of civilized appreciation around 
me. These fellow beings applaud¬ 
ed the conservators and creators 
of beauty onstage and there 
could be little doubt that music 
does, indeed, sooth the savage 
beast. I am proud of the gay ar¬ 
tists who make life so meaning¬ 
ful. The peace that music brings 
to listeners and performers 
should never be isolated or intel- 
lectualized. This universal 
language must be the starting 
point of understanding. If you 
doubt it, just listen to Sistah 
Boom at the Parade Sunday. • 


Fonnelle’s production, Fiorenza 
Cossotto took matters deftly in 
hand and in shawl. Alas, her pow¬ 
erful voice tended to get thin on 
many occasions. Cossotto was 
also forced to remain in hopeless 
poses of anguish for much longer 
than necessary. Under Anton 
Guadagno’s baton, Ermanno 
Mauro was a hefty Turridu—the 
hero whose stiff dick knows no 
conscience until he’s too drunk 
and it’s too late. Kathryn 
Cowdrick was a pleasant enough 
Lola to counteract the effects of 
Cristiane Young’s massive Mam¬ 
ma Lucia. I thought Piero Cap- 
puccilli garnered rather excessive 
applause for his performance as 
the muleteer, Alfrio. But, after 
the San Francisco Opera’s dismal 
productions of II Trovatore and 
Lucia Di Lammermoor, people 
may have been desperate to show 



Members of the Royal Shakespeare Company got into some 
pretty heavy necking during a performance of Giordano 
Bruno's // Cande/aio. 


their appreciation for some de¬ 
cent singing. 

NO MORE CLOWNING 
AROUND 

With domestic violence on the 


rise in America, perhaps it would 
be wise to look at Pagliacci to see 
why so many relationships go up 
in smoke. In Leoncavallo’s melo¬ 
dramatic opera, one is faced with 
(Continued on page 73) 





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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 71 














































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A n Okinawan dance hall in 
The Karate Kid Part II 
has a 1950s motif with 
music to match, Legal Eagles 
opens with songs by Steppenwolf 
and the Rascals. Back to School 
and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off both 
feature “Twist and Shout,” and 
the list goes on. 

Are they trying to lure baby 
boomers back to movie theaters 
this summer, or just the kids who 
grew up listening to their par¬ 
ents’ record collections? 

LEADEN FROTH 


director deserves to be called a 
“classic.” When a picture is cut 
for American release and/or kept 
out of release for 30 years, there 
may be a good reason. 

A case in point is Elena and 
Her Men, which was known as 
Paris Does Strange Things in 
1957 and was a major disappoint¬ 
ment of the San Francisco Inter¬ 
national Film Festival in 1986. In¬ 
grid Bergman stars in this piece 
of leaden froth, probably Jean 
Renoir’s worst film, as you can 
prove by comparing it to any of its 
co-features during this week’s re¬ 
vival. (Castro) 


RALPH FOLLOWS THE 
'SAN' 

Cute cookie Ralph Macchio 
and fortune cookie Noriyuki 
“Pat” Morita do it again in The 
Karate Kid PartII. After 45 years 
Miyagi-san (Morita) is called 
back to Okinawa to his dying fa¬ 
ther’s bedside. He takes up where 
he left off with his true love Yukie 
(Nobu McCarthy) and Sato (Dan¬ 
ny Kamekona), the man he left to 
avoid fighting. 

Faced with a choice between 
Okinawa and Fresno, Daniel 
(Macchio) goes along for the ride. 
Yukie has a niece (Tamlyn 
Tomita) for him to fall in love with 
and Sato has a nephew (Yuji 
Okumoto) for him to fight, so 
there are all the makings of a 
plot. 

Like the Rocky sequels, Karate 
Kid II adheres so closely to the 
strengths of the original it’s al¬ 
most like seeing the same movie 
again. The villains may be Asian 
this time, but they’re just as 
heavy-handed as the neo-Nazi 
preppies of Part I. There are few 
surprises in the story, but if the 
original had earned a million for 
every surprise its grosses would 
still be in six figures. 

What counts is the heartwarm¬ 
ing relationship between 
Miyagi—again portrayed excep¬ 
tionally well by Morita—and his 
young disciple. At 24 Macchio 
plays a stupid teenager better 
than anyone since Matt Dillon 
graduated to playing stupid 
adults. 

The Karate Kid Part II gives 
the mixed message that karate is 
only for defense but once you 
learn it you’ll have plenty of op¬ 
portunities to defend yourself. All 
this and Hawaiian (subbing for 
Okinawan) sunsets too. (North- 
point, Century Plaza, Grand 
Lake, Geneva D-l) 

RED AND DEB FLY LOW 

Intelligence and sophistica¬ 
tion are the last things you’d ex¬ 
pect from director Ivan Reitman, 
the man who gave us Ghostbus- 
ters, but he serves up those ingre¬ 
dients—albeit in moderation— 
in Legal Eagles. What’s more 
surprising is how little humor he 
supplies with them. 

Legal Eagles is a minor 
mystery, a Murder, She Wrote 
episode boosted to “A” status by 
excessive starpower. Robert Red- 
ford i§ an assistant district attor¬ 
ney who winds up working for the 
defense, helping Debra Winger 
investigate a complex art fraud 
case in which Daryl Hannah is 
accused of murder. 

The easygoing Redford waits 
patiently for something funny to 
say or do. So does Winger, who 
has been so badly sabotaged by 
the makeup department I didn’t 
know whether to write a review or 
a get well card. Hannah comes 
away best of the three, playing a 
Laurie Anderson-style perfor¬ 
mance artist. 

Having done water in Splash 
and earth in Clan of the Cave 
Bear, Hannah continues her tour 
of the elements by playing with 
fire here. There are no fewer than 
five scenes with fires in Legal 
Eagles, compared to only three in 
which Redford takes his shirt off. 
Someone’s obviously aiming for 
the pyromaniac crowd, so don’t 
sit in the smoking section for this 
one. (Regency II, Grand 
Lake) 


Not every old film by a great 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 72 



The Winner in the Trade Places with Steve Warren Contest: 
Noriyuki “Pat'' Morita (r.) will write next week's column if 
Steve can take his place in this photo, clutching Karate Kid 
Ralph Macchio. 


CAM-E-LITTLE 

In 17th century Brazil slaves 
fled for freedom to the quilombo 
(their uotpia or Camelot) of Pal¬ 
mares, much as gays have come 
to San Francisco to escape op¬ 
pression. So there are lessons for 
us in Carlos (Bye Bye Brasil) 
Diegues’ Quilombo: Know who 
our friends are and form coali¬ 
tions with them, don’t forget our 
brothers and sisters on the out¬ 
side, never grow complacent, and 
don’t let anyone divide us. 

Unfortunately, this good stuff 
is all between the lines. The lines 
themselves are nowhere near as 
interesting. Music is always a key 
part of Brazilian films, but here 
the songs and dances, many of a 
ceremonial nature, serve to fur¬ 
ther break up a plot that’s al¬ 
ready too episodic, spanning 
some 50 years as it does. Several 
scenes are individually worthy, 
but there’s not enough character 
or plot development to carry us 
from one to another over the 
musical interludes. (York) 

A GOOD QUESTION' 

Activists of all stripes can take 
heart from David L. Brown’s A 
Question of Power, a cogent his¬ 
tory of the antinuclear movement 
in California. The rest of you can 
fade away and radiate. 

Starting just after Three Mile 
Island and finishing ten days 
before Chernobyl, Brown re¬ 
searched and compiled infor¬ 
mation and film footage going 
back to the 1950s, when Walt Dis¬ 
ney promoted “Our Friend the 
Atom” and no one considered 
the dangers inherent even in 
“peaceful uses” of nuclear 
power. 


The focus is on PG&E’s at¬ 
tempts to build nuclear power 
plants in California, especially 
the one at Diablo Canyon, and 
the popular resistance that de¬ 
layed them while thousands of 
defects were corrected and ulti¬ 
mately made them abandon fu¬ 
ture nuclear projects even as 
Diablo Canyon was going online. 
A bit too much time is devoted to 
the basics of organizing and de¬ 
monstrations, which become re¬ 
dundant. 

A Question of Power reminds 
us that while nuclear accidents 
are the result of human error, one 
big one can rule out the possi¬ 
bility of future human error for 
all time. (Pacific Film Ar¬ 
chive, 7/1; New Performance 
Gallery, 7/2; Roxie, 7/3; 
Channel 60, 7/14, 7 p.m.) 

ANTI-AMERICAN 

The first half of American An¬ 
them comes from the MTV 
school of movie-making—as long 
as it’s played loud and looks 
good, nothing else matters. 

Mitch Gaylord was a high 
school football hero and pro¬ 
mising gymnast until his father 
broke his arm—but don’t worry, 
his hair didn’t get mussed in the 
process. Janet Jones is a talented 
but undisciplined gymnast from 
New York. They meet in a gym in, 
Gaylord’s home town—Flagstaff, 
Arizona—where Jones has come 
to train with America’s best 
coach, Russian Michael Pataki. 

Gymnastics is a snap for both 
of them, but their family and at¬ 
titude problems need work. The 
second half is a competition in 
Phoenix to choose a team to re- 
(Continued on next page) 



Two Losers in the Debra Winger Lookalike Contest: Daryl 
Hannah (I.) and the alleged Winger in Legal Eagles 

























Steve Warren 

I Continued from previous page) 

the dialogue is so bad Olivier and 
Streep couldn’t save it. 

Patrice Donnelly, Mariel Hem¬ 
ingway’s Personal Best heart- 
throb, plays Danielle, a minor 
background character. Members 
of the appropriate genders 
should enjoy watching gymnasts 
Stacey Maloney and Maria Anz. 
Maloney looks like a younger, 
prettier Michael Greer and wears 


present the U.S. in Rotterdam, 
presumably in American Anthem 
II 

The gymnastics routines are 
almost good enough to make you 
forget what a dumb movie you’re 
watching. Gaylord is an Olympic 
gold medalist with a body to die 
for. It’s incredible he would 
smoke cigarettes, but perhaps di¬ 
rector Albert (Purple Rain) 
Magnoli had to augment the out¬ 
put of his ubiquitous fog ma¬ 
chines. The acting requirements 
are simple enough that the stars 
don’t disgrace themselves, but 



Julie Lloyd as Janet Jones in American Anthem 



The Winner of the 'Mr. Posing Strap Contest:' Antonio Pompeo leads his people into battle 
in Quilombo 


as much makeup. The best ath¬ 
letes in the film are Li Yuejiu and 
Megan Marsden. 

If someone invites you to see 
American Anthem consider it a 
sporting proposition. In all oth¬ 
er respects the movie’s a loser. 
(Area Theaters) 

CHICAGO HILLS CO-OP 

Billy Crystal is a second-rate 
Joel Grey who once played a fag 
in a TV series and is now milking 
a multimedia career out of the 
line he took from Fernando 
Lamas. Gregory Hines, who’s 
been dancing since he was born, 


has been expanding into acting. 
In Running Scared they play 
Chicago cops—“the best of the 
worst’’—who realize after 16 
years that a guy could get killed 
that way. 

They decide to take early re¬ 
tirement and buy a bar in Key 
West to retire to, but first they 
have to catch deadly drug king¬ 
pin Jimmy Smits. 

The accent is on comedy, with 
Hines and Crystal making a mar¬ 
velous team. They’re so good to¬ 
gether the action has to stop a 
dozen or so times for them to pro¬ 
ve their heterosexual credentials, 


Crystal with ex-wife Darlanne 
Fleugel and Hines with Tracy 
Reed, who tells him on their first 
date, “I think you friend’s jeal¬ 
ous’—meaning Crystal. 

Running Scared isn’t as funny 
as Beverly Hills Cop or as ex¬ 
citing as The French Connection, 
but it blends laughs and thrills 
well enough to make a pleasant 
summertime diversion. 

That’s what I love about this 
time of year—I can watch movies 
without thinking! (Area 
Theaters) • 


Tessi Tura 

(Continued from page 71) 
the bitter predicament of a cou¬ 
ple who, in addition to torturing 
each other as jealous husband 
and cheating wife in private, 
must enact similar roles each 
night in public in order to eke out 
their living. When Nedda’s 
hopes of fleeing the theater in or¬ 
der to embrace a life of domestic 
bliss force her to defy her pos¬ 
sessive husband, the borders bet¬ 
ween life and art quickly blur. 
Canio’s uncontrollable jealousy 
erupts with tragic consequences 
and, at the end of Pagliacci, the 
enraged actor informs his au¬ 
dience that “La commedia e 
finita.” Canio’s not kidding, ei¬ 
ther. Having just slain his wife— 
and the man with whom she was 
planning to elope—his theatrical 
career is in total ruin. So, for that 
matter, is his mind. 

Under the direction of Vera 
Lucia Calabria, the San Fran¬ 
cisco Opera’s revival of Pagliac¬ 
ci did a thorough job of captur¬ 
ing the hatred and resentment 
simmering within Leoncavallo’s 
one-act potboiler. While soprano 
Diana Soviero’s voice may not be 
as pleasing as it was several years 
ago, she remains an artist of ex¬ 
ceptional sensitivity and crafts¬ 
manship whose Nedda is at once 
desperately provocative and 
hopelessly trapped. Special 
kudos go to David Malis, whose 
Silvio was magnificently sung 
and convincingly acted. This 
handsome young baritone’s tal¬ 
ent continues to impress me each 
time I see him perform. 

Others in the cast were Piero 
Cappuccilli (who delivered a 
superbly malevolent and lecher¬ 


ous Tonio) and David Gordon, 
who offered audiences a sym¬ 
pathetic Beppe. As Canio, Er- 
manno Mauro came through 
with a large, forcefully dramatic 
portrayal of Leoncavallo’s tragic 
clown, singing the role with rare 
vocal power and acting it with 
convincing brutality. 

TAKE MY WIFE, PLEASE! 

A much merrier bit of phi¬ 
landering took place during the 
Royal Shakespeare Company’s 
production of II Candelaio, which 
I recently saw in London at the 
Barbican Center’s intimate 
200-seat theater known as “The 
Pit.” More than 300 years old, 
Giordano Bruno’s marital farce 
about a rich and foolish candle- 
maker—who is so smitten with a 
courtesan that he loses his 
senses—proved to be a delicious 
romp. As directed by Clifford 
Williams and Paul Marcus, I was 
particularly attracted to Tina 
Marian’s bawd, Lucia; Mel Mar¬ 
tin’s courtesan, Vittoria; and Ian 
Talbot’s foolish pendant, Man- 
furio. As a doddering old alchem¬ 
ist, Roger Hyam’s lust for gold 
over women seemed more than 
understandable. Anthony O’Don¬ 
nell played the rogue Sanguino 
with great gusto. Bruce Alexan¬ 
der’s portrayal of the candle- 
maker, Bonifacio, and David 
Bradley’s Bartolomeo rounded 
out the fun. 

And what happened to the 
foolish candelmaker? In the 
darkness of a courtesan’s bed¬ 
room, he ended up making love 
to his own wife. And, in the long 
run, I supose that’s a lot better 
than killing her! • 


Best of MBB 

Jim Cvitanich and Mark 
Abramson, who have brought you 
three memorable years of Men 
Behind Bars and raised numer¬ 
ous thousands for local nonprofit 
organizations, are kicking off 
Gay Pride week with a video 
showing of the best of all three 
years of MBB as well as an auc¬ 
tion of costumes and props from 


the various shows, as well as oth¬ 
er items no household can be 
without. 

Join the casts and crews for an 
evening of laughs, goodtimes, 
memories, and possibly some 
embarrassments. So if you always 
wanted that gold lame Valkyries 
headress and gown, or one of 
those Hot Voodoo loincloths, 
come on out for a memorable eve¬ 
ning. • 



WHEN IT’S TIME TO TALK TO 
A REAL MAN call 

976-7363.1 know 
what you really want. 


(21J) 

976 - 756 ? 


$2.00 toll if any 


1. Filthy Fantasies 

2. Enter the Back 
Alleys 

3. Workout with 
2 Beefy Jocks 

4. Receive some 
Discipline 
NOW! 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 73 















Expo Yourself 

Tips on the World Exposition 

by Steve Warren 

I f you haven’t already made plans to go to Expo 86, the World 
Exposition in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, the word from here is: 
Don’t. 

If you have made plans or you’re one of those people who rightly 
think critics like me are full of shit, here are some tips on how to survive 
the Exposure. 

First, I want to point out that Vancouver has obviously learned a lot 
from the recent debacles in New Orleans and Knoxville. Superior plan¬ 
ning plus the coincidence of recent events that have soured Americans 
on the idea of visiting Europe this year have created a paradox: Expo 
is too good and too many people want to see it. 



When I was there in mid-May 
the weekday attendance was ap¬ 
proaching 100,000. They’ve said 
they expect 150,000 a day and 
will close the gates at 200,000. 
I’m not sure what the tempera¬ 
ture was—I don’t speak Celsius 
—but it was said to be unseason¬ 
ably cool. I rarely had to remove 
my jacket. It felt like summer in 
San Francisco. 

Imagine what it will be like 
when the fairgrounds are twice as 
crowded, the temperature much 
higher, and the friendly, cour¬ 
teous staff tired of hearing peo¬ 
ple bitch. I envision blood on the 
midway. 

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 
MINUTES 

For those of you who aren’t 
deterred, here are some recom¬ 
mendations of what to see and 
how best to see it—especially if 
you don’t have all the time in the 
world: 

• Be Prepared to Walk. If you 

stroll the Expo grounds without 
stopping or going into any 
pavilions you can probably go 
around the world in 80 minutes, 
and that’s a pleasant way to do it, 
especially to get a sense of the 
overall layout when you arrive. 


Expo has the best facilities for 
the physically challenged I’ve 
seen anywhere, but if you’re not 
wheelchair-bound you’ll find 
walking is the fastest way to get 
around. The wait for the mono- 
rail is intolerable, and with a com¬ 
plex routing system it probably 
won’t take you where you want to 
go. The SkyTrain is supposed to 
get you to the offsite Canadian 
Pavilion in four minutes. A 
round-trip took me 45 minutes. 
• Be Prepared to Wait. It 
takes longer to get in to see al¬ 
most everything than it does to 
see it. Crowd control techniques 
are as good as they get; but even 
at the British Columbia Discov¬ 
ery Pavilion, which disguises its 
long, winding ramp as a sylvan 
glade, you’ll be aware that you’re 
waiting a long time. Sometimes 
there are live musicians, strolling 
mimes, or other distractions—in 
warmer weather the crowd itself 
will be full of distractions—but if 
you’re as impatient as I, you’ll 
feel as if you’ve gone to hell and 
have to wait in an eternal line to 
get in. 

If you’re traveling with 
children, be prepared to amuse 
them during these long waits. 
Once they get inside, many of the 
pavilions have hands-on exhibi¬ 


tions to amuse them—when they 
can get past the adults who want 
to play, too. 

• Speak English. That’s no 
problem for those of you who are 
reading this, but I found the Ex¬ 
position surprisingly monolin¬ 
gual for a world’s fair, especially 
one held in a bilingual country. 
There are token uses of French, 
Canada’s other official language. 
The most amusing was an an¬ 
nouncement before one show 
that special headsets would pro¬ 
vide a French soundtrack for 
those who needed it. The an¬ 
nouncement was made only in 
English. Guides are available to 
answer questions in a variety of 
languages, but good luck finding 
the one you need when you need 
one. Just remember, a smile is a 
universal language. 

• Something’s Fishy. Did you 
know salmon is the primary 
cuisine of 54 countries? Just kid¬ 
ding. Not all the countries at 
Expo have restaurants, but most 
of those who do feature salmon 
on their menus. An exception is 
a U.S. fast food chain which has 
five eateries at the fair with no 
McSalmon in sight. 

“Overpriced restaurants” was 
the complaint I heard most fre¬ 
quently. I would counter that 
while the prices in the “better” 
restaurants are fair, the portions 
are outrageously small. This is 
based on meals at the French and 
Hawaiian restaurants. The mid¬ 
price meals at the Canada 
Pavilion offer far better value for 
the money. The worst meal I had 
was at the place that sounded 
most politically correct, the First 
National (Canadian Indian) Res¬ 
taurant. Their “buffalo steak” 
was made of ground meat and 
was more gristly, more expensive, 
and less tasty than the average 
hamburger. 

• Know What You’re Doing. 

Like visiting a foreign country, 
you should plan for a trip to Expo 
86 by reading all you can about 
it and deciding what you want to 
see so you can organize your 
time—see all the highlights in 
one area before moving on to the 
next. 

A ticket booth outside the 
geodesic dome known as Expo 
Centre distributes tickets in the 
morning for all the day’s shows at 
the Omnimax and Futures Thea¬ 
tres. Make a beeline when the 
gates open. 

In most other situations you go 
directly into whatever you wait in 
line for. An exception is the Can¬ 
ada Pavilion where, upon enter¬ 
ing (after a wait), you are given a 
ticket to your choice of the CN or 
Teleglobe Theatre, for a specific 
show that may be several hours 
off. 

• Go to the Movies. As a film 
freak my main interest in world 


expositions and theme parks is in 
seeing the new techniques in¬ 
troduced there. The three high¬ 
lights in this category are at loca¬ 
tions referred to above. 

Discovery ,; at the Discovery 
B.C. Pavilion, is in Douglas Trum¬ 
bull’s new 70mm Showscan pro¬ 
cess. Projected at 60 frames per 
second instead of the customary 
24, it produces a video-like clari¬ 
ty. Fairuza Balk of Return to Oz 
stars in this silly fantasy, giving 
aliens in a red plastic spaceship 
a tour of British Columbia. The 
highlight is a trip on skis, analo¬ 
gous to the rollercoaster ride in 
This Is Cinerama. 

A Freedom to Move is in 
“Canada’s first and the world’s 
largest” Omnimax theater, at 
Expo Centre. The screen not only 
wraps around from side to side 
put curves well overhead to 
envelope you more fully. This is 
the best film in terms of content, 
truly illustrating the Exposition’s 
theme, “World in Motion— 
World in Touch.” 

Transitions, in the CN Theatre 
at the Canada Pavilion, is in the 
3-D Imax process (glasses furn¬ 
ished). As 3-D always promised, it 
“puts you in the picture” on a 
giant screen, with a hunk in your 
lap, pigs nibbling at your nuts, a 
horse galloping through your 
groin, and a robot breaking an 
egg over your head. A fencer’s 
touche really seems to touch you. 


Compared to these “big 
three,” such techniques as Circle- 
Vision 360—which I’ve never lik¬ 
ed much—seem old hat. 

With so much Canadian pres¬ 
ence already, it would be nice if 
the National Film Board of Can¬ 
ada had a theater with contin¬ 
uous showings of their classic 
short subjects, especially ani¬ 
mated ones. 

• Rampant Redundancy Is 
Rampant and Redundant 

With 54 countries, three states 
and nine provinces/territories 
showing off their transportation 
and communication, you’re 
bound to get some repetition. I 
mean, what can you do with a 
train? The pavilions are modular 
units, although interior designs 
create great variety. Multiple vid¬ 
eo screens are a popular techni¬ 
que ranging from groups of nine 
(Italy, Thailand) to 108 (Canada). 
Some of China’s displays look 
like high school science fair pro¬ 
jects, including Expo’s largest 
collection of “do not touch” 
signs. 

Russia, by contrast, is very 
high tech and very friendly. 
“Transport and communication 
for peace and cooperation,” an¬ 
nounces one sign. “We want to 
see only non-military space mis¬ 
sions,” says another. The USSR 
Pavilion also has a fashion show, 
heavy on furs. Your reporter al- 
(Continued on page 77) 


U ISA'S 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 74 






























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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 75 



























































NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


The Imperial Question 


Empress XX Sissy Spaceout Talks About 
What It Means to be Royal in the '80's 


by Ron Bluestein 


W ith aplomb in his bearing and a cigarette in his mouth, he made it look like the simplest thing in 
the world to do. In his 1985 reign. Empress XX of San Francisco Sissy Spaceout meshed punk and 
camp into a glittering Imperial Butterfly Galactica Court that also brought together a new genera¬ 
tion of royalty with the old. In his year on the throne, Sissy not only continued the Imperial tradition of charity 
and giving, he revitalized the Court as one of the most active fundraising institutions of the San Francisco 
gay community. Not since the first Empress, the Widow Norton Jose Sarria himself, had there been such 
a queen, and in recognition of this, the Widow presented Sissy with an inscribed gold ring by the graveside 
of the Emperor during the last moments of the Spaceout administration. 

my own pocket. I went to all of 
these things in drag —it’s one of 
the first times this has 
happened—in most cases with 
their invitation, a couple of times 
without, but never a bad reaction. 
I probably served as an auc¬ 
tioneer at about 50 events and I 
emceed countless others.” 


Empress XX Sissy Spaceout (I.) and Empress XIX Remy 
Martin at the Royal Investiture which crowned Empress Sable 
Clown (Photo: Rink) 


One look at Sissy Spaceout 
and you know you’re dealing with 
something altogether new in the 
history of drag. He’s young, and 
dressed up he looks—with his 
piercing eyes and high cheek¬ 
bones—like a smart punk porn 
starlet. Vying with his achieve¬ 
ments for distinction is Sissy’s 
hair; in fact Sissy’s hair is one of 
his achievements. Patti LaBelle’s 
influential triple Mohawk hairdo 
originated, says Sissy, on his head 
when a member of LaBelle’s staff 
saw the S.F. Empress in the L.A. 
Gay Pride Parade. “I didn’t 
prompt LaBelle to say it,” says 
Sissy. “She gave me credit when 
she introduced me at the Fair¬ 
mont.” 

The triple Mohawk was the 
least of Sissy’s contributions; he 
brought a kind of carriage and 
credibility, not to mention flair, 
to the position of Empress that 
hadn’t been seen or felt in years. 

“It would be nice to say that I 
was responsible for all that 
change,” Sissy said, “but one of 
the people who started the 
changes in the Court was Em¬ 
press Remy Martin. She was the 
first empress who could sit down 
with the Concerned Republicans 
as well as serve on the Gay Pride 
Committee. Remy was a reason¬ 
able, hard-working, intelligent 
empress, and a parliamentary ex¬ 
pert. I came along, and I’m not 
quite the meeting person she is, 
but I’m a repsonsible person. I 
can participate at a meeting, 
and I was a little flashier Em-, 
press. You never knew what I 
would wear.” 

The Spaceout Court had a new 
look and a new feel. Sissy helped 
strengthen and reaffirm the com¬ 
munity sevrice ideal that was the 
goal of the Widow Norton’s first 
reign. 

BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 


“The Empress,” according to 
Sissy, “is there to serve the com¬ 
munity. I’m a recovering alcohol¬ 
ic and one of the reasons I got 
back involved with the court after 
I got sober was that I wanted 
something to do with my new¬ 
found energy, give part of my life 
back, and I didn’t perceive my¬ 
self getting involved with the 
Harvey Milk Club or something. 
The old [court] philosophy was 
very egocentric, and it came to a 
point somewhere between the 
tenth Empress and a few years 
later—I won’t be specific—where 
Empresses began to think they 
were really real. And they would 
really have destroyed their com¬ 
munity credibility by doing 
things like walking in bars and 
saying, ‘Give me a free beer, I’m 
the Empress.’ They really began 
to think they were something. 

“I don’t believe that anyone 
owes the Empress anything. You 
are there to serve the communi¬ 
ty and you serve the community 
by not pushing yourselves on 
them. If a group didn’t want the 
Empress, fine, because there are 
a lot of groups that did.” 

And what, I hear my benighted 
readers from the Concerned 
Republicans for Individual 
Rights ask, would a group want 
the Empress for? 

Here’s a little hint: What talks? 

Everybody: Money talks. 

Sissy spelled it out. “In the 
last two or three years, the gay 
commmunity has had a great 
need for fundraising. The Em¬ 
peror or Empress is such a great 
person to bring to an auction for 
color, and last year I was besieg¬ 
ed with requests from every 
organization to come and do auc¬ 
tions. During my reign I went to 
every major benefit in this town, 
buying a first-class ticket out of 
26, ItM RAGE 76 


Royal Romp—Emperor Ken and Empress Sissy greet their subjects (Photo: Rink) 


The Court’s activities are 
numberless. “We participated 
with the Gay Games,” Sissy con¬ 
tinued, “we worked on the Gay 
Pride Parade fundraisers. I don’t 
even count the money that the 
present Empress Sable, Desiree 
and I raised at the Up Your Alley 
Street Fair when we sold kisses. 
We raised $500 that day! That’s 
only one example.” 

In addition to helping other 
charities, the Empress Council 
has adopted the Coming Home 
Hospice and the Godfather Serv¬ 
ice Fund as their personal cause. 
“The Godfather Service Fund 
started with Paul Seidler and is 
now part of the Tavern Guild. 
There is no administrative cost; 
it’s all volunteer help with the 
Guild managing the funds. They 
have a kit they’ve put together 
with shaving items and a little 
teddy bear and it’s given to every 
patient on Ward 5B. We raised 
$8,000 on our own for this fund.” 

The Empress of San Fran¬ 
cisco’s dominion extends beyond 
the 49 square miles of the fog¬ 
giest populace either side of 
Everest. Imperial Courts from 
Calgary to Waikiki look to San 


Emperor Ken Wright and Empress Sissy Spaceout at the 
beginning of their year (Photo: Rink) 


Francisco for whatever it is peo¬ 
ple look to San Francisco for. 
Sissy travelled extensively, help¬ 
ing create and consolidate a Na¬ 
tional Court System. 

“Combined, Emperor Ken 
Wright and I went to about 34 
coronations,” said Sissy. “Our 
philosophy was to go out and 
meet people; they did not need to 
come to us. I went to coronations 
where San Francisco had never 
been—Bellingham, Washington, 
Dallas, Eugene. I’m very proud 
of that. I had a great deal of fun 
at those smaller places. 

One of the things that happen¬ 
ed to me in Bellingham that sort 
of made the whole year worth¬ 
while was—well, first I didn’t 
quite know where Bellingham 
was; I thought it was in Montana. 
But I had promised somebody 
I’d go, so I went. I got there and 
was quite surprised to find out it 
was in Washington. And people 
from the major courts around 
there, like the Court of Seattle, 
were absolutely dumbfounded 


that I would traipse to a sort of 
‘second rate’ coronation. It hap¬ 
pened to turn out to be an ex¬ 
cellent coronation. I was sitting 
there and I had done a number, 
and this young man came up to 
me and said ‘You’re from San 
Francisco?’ I said yes and he 
said, ‘Well, I’m going down on 
my Dad’s fishing boat in a cou¬ 
ple of weeks. Where should I go, 
to meet people like this?’ I said, 
‘You mean gay people?’ He said 
yes and I said ‘Go to Castro 
Street.’ He said, ‘I’ve never been 
to a gay function before; this is 
the first time.’ So we talked a long 
time about coming out and being 
involved. The Court System does 
help a lot of people come out. 
Harvey Milk once said, a long 
time ago, that if you could talk 
one person into moving to San 
Francisco or help one person 
come out, you’ve done some¬ 
thing. I really felt at that moment 
that it was worth the whole year. 
If I did nothing else, there was 
this one kid I had helped.” _ 






















Nobody’s Business 

Long Road To Love: A True Story of Hope for the 
Homosexual 

by Darlene Bogle, Chosen Books 
by Frank Howell 

served consideration and could, 


O ne day the Hayward Pub¬ 
lic Library had an unex¬ 
pected visitor. Darlene 
Bogle, a rather plump, short 
woman with glasses, walked in 
and beheld an exhibit of books 
and pictures that proclaimed, in 
effect, we are proud of what we 
are. The collection was sponsor¬ 
ed by the Pacific Center in 
Berkeley. Hayward was not uni¬ 
que in playing host to a gay 
display. Other public libraries 
allowed the innocent to view the 
materials without incident. 

But Bogle is not one of the in¬ 
nocents of this world. She views 
herself as an ex-lesbian destin¬ 
ed to save others from a similar, 
dark fate. What she saw in the 
round plastic display case did 
not square with her beliefs. This 
to her was an offense in the sight 
of God. She left the library and 
gathered a number of signatures 
on a petition stating such a spec¬ 
tacle did not belong in a family 
setting. Her formal complaint 
was submitted to the library 
commission for review. 

The commission meeting was 
opened to the public and some 
60 interested parties attended. 
Testimony, both pro and con, was 
offered, including that of a pro¬ 
fessor from the local college. 

The ladies on the library 
board took the enlightened view 
that the homophile opinion de- 


Steve Warren 

(Continued from page 74) 

most created an international in¬ 
cident by asking a Soviet official 
at a press conference whether 
this was in response to the Wen¬ 
dy’s commercial. His reply, in 
short, was “Nyet.” 

Members of the Kirov Ballet 
also held a press conference, 
where someone asked about the 
reasons for the defection of 
Nureyev, Baryshnikov, etc. Ar¬ 
tistic Director Oleg Vinogradov 
replied, “They made their own 
choice and I think they helped 
you (in the West) to create your 
own ballet. I don’t feel the desire 
to defect. You should ask the 
defectors.” 

An example of redundancy and 
how to fight it is in the South 
Pacific Pavilion, where eight tiny 
nations vie for attention with 
cultures that look pretty much 
alike to most of us. Papua New 
Guinea stands out with a carved 
fertility god with the dick of 
death, while Vanuatu has lots of 
pictures of young boys and men 
wearing loincloths and less. 
•Also See . . Spirit Lodge at 
the General Motors Pavilion; the 
Jollyball Machine at the Swiss 
Pavilion. 

• Musts to Avoid: The Observa¬ 
tion Tower—$2 to go up and 
down and get an overview of the 
Exposition through scratchy win¬ 
dows, no good for photographs; 
the Czechoslovakia Pavilion— 
one of the longest waits for one 
of the worst shows. 

• Bring Money. U.S. dollars are 
accepted everywhere on the Expo 
grounds, but not all over Van¬ 
couver. The Exposition sets the 
exchange rate each day for all its 
vendors, not bad but you’ll do 
better at a bank. Remember 
prices are in Canadian dollars, so 
subtract about 25 percent to fig¬ 
ure what they are in “real” mon¬ 
ey. Royal Bank of Canada has 


therefore, remain in the library. 
A compromise was reached. At 
the conclusion of the exhibit, 
Bogle and her supporters could 
set up a display of their own. 

A month later, the gay depic¬ 
tion of people coming out of 
their closets was replaced by pic¬ 
tures of smiling mothers clutch¬ 
ing smiling infants and children. 
God had surely s spoken. 

After the controversy died 
down, Darlene vanished from 
the scene. But now she re- 
emerges with Long Road to 
Love: A Story of True Hope for 
the Homosexual. 

With the dawn of the Reagan- 
Falwell age, the so-called “ex¬ 
gay” movement has apparently 
thrived. The public is naturally 
told what it wants to hear; that 
gays can really change with 
God’s help if they really want to. 
Scores of Homosexual Anony¬ 
mous groups are sprouting up 
and are uncritically accepted. 
The problem is that no scientific 
analysis has been conducted 
which follows the progress of 
“reformed” homosexuals over a 
long period of time. A number 
of these individuals have slid 
from the wagon of salvation and 
re-emerged as ex-ex gays. Ah 
well, as one former homosexual 
said, “Now the only time I think 
of a man is when I masturbate.” 

As the heated debate rages on, 

several automated teller mach¬ 
ines at Expo, from which you can 
make direct withdrawals if you 
have a card from a Plus System 
bank in the U.S. (Bank of Amer¬ 
ica, Chase Manhattan, etc.). 

• Plan Ahead. There are a fi¬ 
nite number of rooms for an in¬ 
finite number of visitors, so don’t 
wait to shop around when you get 
there. Major shows and concerts 
are sold out the day tickets go on 
sale. 

If you’d like to stay in a gay or 
lesbian private home call Pacific 
Lambda Housing ’86 at (604) 
251-9713. Metropolitan Com¬ 
munity Church of Vancouver is 
offering free housing (for a dona¬ 
tion to AIDS Vancouver) to 
members of other MCC’s. Your 
local church should have applica¬ 
tions. 

• O, Canada! Sure, the host 
country has the advantage, but 
they really make the most of it. 
The staff, mostly young and 
underpaid, are friendly, attrac¬ 
tive, and genuine. You can hard¬ 
ly help but see some exhibits of 
the scenic wonders of Canada. If 
you’re on as tight a schedule as 
I was you’ll regret not having 
time to explore them in person. 

THE LAST WORD 

No, I’m not sorry I went to 
Expo 86, despite moments of 
frustration that added up to 
hours. I’m glad I went before the 
heat and the crowds got as bad as 
they will in the summer. Your 
best bet now is to wait until after 
Labor Day when things quiet 
down again. Expo continues 
through October 13. 

The redundancy mentioned 
earlier may become monotonous 
if you trudge through enough 
displays, but it may also leave you 
with a subliminal message about 
the similarities that bind the na¬ 
tions of the world. If we can build 
from there instead of letting our 
leaders divide us, perhaps there’s 
hope for the future after all. • 


Darlene tells her own story, in¬ 
sisting she has discovered the 
path to true redemption. The 
Bogle saga is indeed a sad one. 
She suffered child abuse from an 
early age in a chronically unsta¬ 
ble family where the parents 
moved around frequently. An 
adult also raped her. She weav¬ 
ed in and out of religious guilt, 
repenting one minute and 
switching into lesbian relation¬ 
ships the next. Finally, at the 
climactic moment, a close 
friend, in a fit of religious fren¬ 
zy, commands the devil to flee 
from Diane’s body. At last she is 
free. 

One question we may well ask, 
is she really gay or is she per¬ 
haps bisexual? No one except 
the person in question can know 
if he or she truly evolved into a 
genuine heterosexual. We can 
only take their word for it. Many 
so-called ex-gays never marry or 
conceive children. Is this be¬ 
cause of a failure to relate to the 
oppisite sex in a traditional man¬ 
ner? Diane would simply reply 
that a lack of marriage must be 
God’s will. 

More books like Long Road to 
Love will appear, but none of the 
mainstream publishers seem to 
promote the ex-gay view. Such 
books are only printed by small, 
fundamentalist publishing 
houses such as Chosen Books. 
The ex-gay movement and the 
spread of AIDS constitute the 
last hope these God-fearing folks 
possess of stopping the gay 
movement. 

We can only wish Diane well 
and hope she continues to find 
the happiness that escaped her 
for so long. There can be no real 
winners in such a debate. We 
simply embrace the lifestyle 
which fulfills our basic human 
need for warmth and intimacy. 
God understands this. We can 
only hope that Diane does. ■ 


Ninety Hollow Pages 

Safe Sex in the Age of AIDS for Men and Women 

by Robert T. Mcllvenna, Wardell B. Pomeroy, Loretta 
Haroian. Erwin .1. Haerberle. and Charles Moser 


Citadel Press, S3.95 
by Marv. Shaw 

H ow about $3.95 for a 
ridiculously inflated 
pamphlet? That is exact¬ 
ly what this shameful little pro¬ 
duct is. There are 90 pages in 
this “book,” 20 of which have 
printing on less than half the 
page length, seven on only half. 
The type size and line spacing 
would be appropriate for a first 
grade primer, making even the 
full pages looked puffed. 

Even with the topic isolation 
and typography appearance 
taken into account, the makeup 


safe sex is fun and to use his/her 
imagination. 

Otherwise, there is next to no 
inducement to practice safe sex. 
The advice is so flat and antisep¬ 
tic that performing the acts is 
more like following a strict diet 
and straining through a set of 
calisthenics, all the while telling 
yourself you are enjoying the 
process because it is good for 
you. 

Early in the fall of 1984,1 in¬ 
terviewed four psychotherapists 
on the relationship of AIDS to 


'Save your money. Consult 
local authorities. 


of this rip-off can’t be justified. 
A typical example is the four 
lines for Oral Intercourse on 
page 32, the entire page! 

But what of the content? So 
much of it is now common 
knowledge most readers would 
be reading what they already 
know. By far the most exposition 
is devoted to what one should 
not do sexually. OK, but the 
pages of this newspaper have 
carried such proscriptions for a 
long time, as have numerous 
other publications. 

Despite the title, only about 
one-eighth of the material is 
about safe sex. Here too the 
recommendations are familiar 
—hugging, dry kissing, mutual 
masturbation, the use of con¬ 
doms. The reader is advised that 


the mental health of gay men. 
One, Leon McKusick, stated that 
one of the greatest challenges 
was the effective eroticizing of 
safe sex. When I picked up this 
book, that was one of the objec¬ 
tives I expected to see realized. 
No way! 

It is difficult to believe this in¬ 
adequate little tome has been 
put on the market through the 
Institute for the Advanced Study 
of Human Sexuality, with such 
a prestigious figure as Wardell 
Pomeroy figuring among the 
authors. 

Save your money. Consult 
local authorities. If you are 
dubious about the pleasures of 
safe sex, read the fiction featur¬ 
ing it now hitting the bookstores. 


DIGGER THAN DYNASTY? 



415 

408 

213 

818 


976-HUGE 


3 NEW FANTASIES DAILY. 

A $2.00 Service Charge will appear on your phone bill. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 77 

















Gay Paree 

Visit the French Capital for le Gay Time': 

Vive the Broad ... Minets ... Quai d'Austerlitz 


by Gerard Koskovich 


Oscar Wilde once said, “When good Americans die, they go to Paris.” Those of us who are 
slightly naughty are permitted to visit while still living. And gay Americans make up a signifi¬ 
cant proportion of the slightly naughty who take the trip—or dream at home of life in “Gay 
Paree.” 



The subject of gay life in the French capital could fill several books—and has. Unfortunate¬ 
ly, all are in French and are largely unavailable here. Given this state of affairs, it’s no surprise 
that gay men and lesbians I encounter often ask about gay culture when they discover my 
inveterate enthusiasm for things French. 

rich gay social history extending 
back to the 16th century and 
before, reflecting a variety of 
native developments and foreign 
influences. Fragments of the past 
remain in place for visitors with 
a bit of knowledge and an atten¬ 
tive eye. 

One of my first stops in 
Paris—and a place where I 
return frequently—was the Pere- 
Lachaise Cemetery. This splen¬ 
did expanse of mouldering tombs 
has been the final destination for 
many of the most distinguished 
residents of Paris since the begin¬ 
ning of the 18th century. 

Among the late and great in¬ 
terred at Pere-Lachaise is a 
veritable who’s who of gay men 
and lesbians: Cambaceres, au¬ 
thor of the Code Napoleon, the 
body of law that made sodomy 
legal in France, the novelists Col¬ 
ette and Marcel Proust, and that 
dear girl from Oakland who 
made good, Gertrude Stein. 

A granite tomb in the far 
reaches of the cemetery is the one 
that has established Pere- 
Lachaise as a place of pilgrimage 
for gay men since the Belle Epo- 
que: Under a monument featur¬ 
ing an Egypto-kitsch winged 
nude male rests Oscar Wilde. 


Gay activist Jacques Vandemborghe (I.) and friend Jean 
LeBitoux in Vandemborghe's apartment in Paris 

(Photo: Gerard Koskovich) 


I usually tell such nascent 
Francophiles an anecdote or two 
about Paris, teach them a few ex- 
pressions their high school 
French class overlooked, and ven¬ 
ture some comparisons of urban 
gay life in the United States and 
-France. Then I make a mental 
note to pull this chatter into an 
article sometime. 

Lesbian/Gay Freedom Week— 
when gay people from across the 
country crowd into San Francisco 
—seems an appropriate time to 
take a brief look at one of our 
genuine “sister” cities. Here, 
then, a collage of images—half 
silly, half serious—from my files 
on gay Paris. 


“People in Paris are really 
awful,” a friend once assured me. 
“They hate Americans. You 
should hear how they treated my 
parents!” 

Like wisdom-tooth horror 
stories, I frequently heard 
remarks of this ilk as I prepared 
for sojourns in Paris in 1983 and 
again last summer. After spend¬ 
ing nearly nine months there in 
the past three years, I often 
wonder if Parisians only hate 
American heterosexuals—or if 
only heterosexual Parisians hate 
Americans. 

I encountered none of this 
legendary anti-American senti¬ 
ment among gay people. In fact, 


French gay culture reveals a 
marked fascination with 
American gay life. Consider these 
gay bar and restaurant names in 
Paris, for example: San Francisco 
Night, Fire Island, Melrose’s 
(that’s a major Los Angeles 
thoroughfare, you City snobs), or 
simply l’Amerique. 

American gay slang also has 
found its way wholesale into Pari¬ 
sian gay usage: Enlightened 
Anglophone travellers without a 
word of French would have no 
trouble with le cock-ring, le back¬ 
room, le fist-fucking, le safer-sex, 
le poppers (that’s right, “pop¬ 
pers” is singular in French). 

This enthusiasm for American 
and Americans often astonished 
me. On my initial visit to Le 
Village, a small neigborhood bar 
renowned as the first in Paris to 
install picture windows, the 
bartender spotted my American 
accent. 

“From the States?” he asked 
in French. I fessed up. “Oh, I 
really love Americans,” he 
reassured me, then leaned over 
the bar and added confidential¬ 
ly, “I like them so much, I even 
hope the franc keeps falling! 
That way, we’ll have more 
American tourists.” 


Parisian gay culture is, of 
course, much more than a 
modern import. The city has a 


The bland inscription on the 
back of the marker makes no 
reference to the reason for 
Wide’s exile in Paris, but a grafit- 
ti artist has scratched the ap¬ 
propriate words: “Martyr of the 
Gays of the World.” Parisian 
legend adds this redeeming 
detail: if gay lovers swear on the 
winged male’s genitals, it is said 
the couple will never be parted. 


Gay life in contemporary Paris 
offers a variety of lively diver¬ 
sions from the raw to the refined. 
Because the city is geographical¬ 
ly compact—much like San Fran¬ 
cisco—a broad range of possibil¬ 
ities falls within the scope of one 
vigorous walk or a couple of easy 
metro rides. 

For twinkie enthusiasts, the 
greatest magnet in the French 
capital is The Broad, located at 
3, rue de la Feronnerie, near the 
cavernous Chalelet subway sta¬ 
tion. Parisians refer to the comely 
young fellows with flashy clothes 
and terminal attitude who in¬ 
habit this and similar dance bars 
as minets (“kittens”). 

Drawing on many hours of 
observation, I once compiled a 
list of twinkie/minet distinctions. 
A few of the most essential: 
Twinkies have blue eyes and 
blond hair; minets have green 
eyes and brown hair. Twinkies 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 78 


drive sports cars; minets have 
first class metro passes (daytime) 
or cab fare (evenings). Twinkies 
barely speak English; minets 
barely speak English. 

My friend Jacques Vandem¬ 
borghe, a gay activist and writer, 
showed me the opposite extreme 
of Parisian gay types and ter¬ 
ritories last summer. After a 
civilized dinner at Amazonial, a 
gay restaurant down the street 
from The Broad, we took an ex¬ 
tended stroll across the city and 
along the quiet Seine. 

Well to the east of the usual 
tourist haunts, we arrived at the 
Quai d’Austerlitz, an enormous, 
largely abandoned warehouse 
open on one side to the port of 
the City of Paris. Rows of con¬ 
crete piers that divide the space 
created shifting patterns and 


United States in 1984, I asked 
him to compare French and 
American gay life. He looked 
deep into his morning cup of cof¬ 
fee, took a particularly long drag 
on his cigarette, and ventured 
some observations. 

“People are more physical in 
the United States—they touch 
your arm or shoulder when they 
talk to you,” he said. “That’s 
very nice, because in France, 
there’s more distance between 
people, which is probably a result 
of our heritage of politesse.” 

But Jacques saw a flip side of 
this apparent intimacy. “Gay 
people here (in th.e U.S.) are 
more—well, I don’t want to say 
superficial—but they don’t at¬ 
tach the same importance to 
love,” he said. 


'Gay life in contemporary Paris offers a 
variety of lively diversions from the raw to the 
refined. Because the city is geographically 
compact—much like San Francisco—a broad 
range of possibilities falls within the scope of 
one vigorous walk or a couple of easy Metro 
rides/ 


blind spots as we penetrated the 
intense darkness. 

Men in jeans and leather mov¬ 
ed in the shadows, pausing 
behind pilings or stepping 
momentarily into the moonlight 
at the edge of the river. Jacques 
wandered off. I crept further 
from the entrance. Here and 
there, men appraoched one 
another; in a corner, one knelt 
before another whose head tilted 
back in pleasure. 

Needless to say, no minet could 
afford the dry-cleaning bills that 
would result from activity of this 
sort. And no amount of attitude 
could fend off the sense of 
danger, mystery, and exhilaration 
there. 


When Jacques visited the 


I think his observations hold 
some validity. The easy amiabili¬ 
ty of Americans, the formality 
and emotional constancy of the 
French are qualities that many 
have noted. And they explain, in 
part, the enduring appeal of gay 
Paris for Americans, and of gay 
Americans for the French. 

Copyright ® 1986 by' Ray Gerard 
Koskovich. 


Gerard Koskovich is a free¬ 
lance writer living in Palo 
Alto, CA. His article on gay 
and lesbian young people in 
Paris, co-authored with Jean 
Le Bitoux, is forthcoming in 
the Journal of Homosex¬ 
uality. 



The Quai d'Austerlitz (Photo: Gerard Koskovich) 








NO 

TURNING 
BACK! 


Heroes Remembered 


Life Begins At 40 


Author Discovers Gay Military Love Letters 
Tell Story of Gays in World War II 


by Jay Newquist 

Writer Alan Berube is telling the story for the first time of the more than one million gay men 
and lesbian women who served heroically in the Armed Forces during World War II. 

His book-in-progress, which will be published in late 1988 by Free Press (a division of Mac¬ 
Millan) , chronicles the lives of soldiers and WACs who dared to be homosexual in uniform dur¬ 
ing the 1940s. 



Alan Berube 


Berube has pieced together 
the fabric of these unheralded 
lives through actual government 
documents, diaries, and personal 
interviews which he said demon¬ 
strate when the military first 
started its anti-gay hysteria. 

“It’s clear through some 3,000 
declassified documents and con¬ 
fidential memos that the military 
first decided to set up an anti-gay 
policy and enforce it during the 
war,” Berube said recently. “The 
war forced many servicemen and 
women away from small towns 
into same-sex environments near 
big cities, it was a national 
coming-out process.” 

A key incident that compelled 
Berube to start his book was the 
discovery of hundreds of letters 
in the Potrero home of a recent¬ 
ly deceased gay man. These let¬ 
ters told of an entire network of 
gay lives and relationships 
through correspondence between 
friends and lovers in the service. 

“It was just incredible to see 
this material jammed into card¬ 
board boxes,” Berube said. “I 
spread the letters out on the floor 
of my apartment. There were also 
pictures. The whole thing unfold¬ 
ed before my eyes like a high 
school yearbook.” 

He said the letters revealed 
these correspondents were both 
pleased and discontent about 
their homosexuality. “There was 
a lot of conflict on a personal 
level. These people are content 
among themselves, they camp it 
up together, but with their 
parents there are coming out let¬ 
ters that show they are ashamed 
and angry,” Berube said. 


The 39-year-old author, who 
has lived in San Francisco since 
1974, dropped out of the Univer¬ 
sity of Chicago in 1968 following 
the murder of his best friend in 
the wake of riots coinciding with 
the murder of Martin Luther 
King, Jr. 

He said one-third of his class 
left the university in the same 
year that many were drafted to 
serve in Vietnam. 

Berube said he has always 
been interested in gay and les¬ 
bian history and he has produced 
slide shows and printed articles 
on the subject. He completed 
“Lesbian Masquerade” in 1979 
(later retitled “She Even Chewed 
Tobacco”), and the articles 
“Marching to a Different Drum¬ 
mer” for the Advocate in 1981 
and “Coming Out Under Fire” 
for Mother Jones in 1983. 

He also wrote a history of gay 
and lesbian bars in San Francisco 
from the 1930s to the 1960s. In 
the past, Berube has worked to 
make ends meet while he wrote as 
a word processor, typist, and 
receptionist. He continues to 
show his slide shows, which he 
estimated have been presented 
more than 100 times in the U.S. 
and Canada. 

Berube has been given a pub¬ 
lisher’s advance to write his book 
and he said he was very pleased 
with Free Press. Unlike the la¬ 
ment of many writers, he was 
approached by several publishers 
who wanted to handle his manu¬ 
script. 

“They are publishing it as a 
commercial/scholarly book for 
wide distribution, and they’ll 


market it as social history,” he 
said. 

Berube only managed to pry 
the declassified documents from 
the military through the Free¬ 
dom of Information Act. He said 
that his xerox bill has amounted 
to several thousand dollars. He 
said he had nothing but praise 
for the people at the National Ar¬ 
chives, while the Navy and the 
U.S. Senate were difficult (The 
Senate is not included in the 
Freedom of Information Act, he 
reported). 

Berube estimated that he has 
assembled more information 
about gay and lesbian service¬ 
men and women than he can pos¬ 
sibly handle, including 80 oral in¬ 
terviews, some 100 more planned 
for the future, plus letters and 
diaries. He has created the World 
War Two Project to house all the 
material as public archives for 
future generations. 

In his research Berube report¬ 
ed that gays were locked out of 
the military during World War II 
for homosexual activities or if 
they were merely percieved to be 
gay. “They’d often never get out 
of jail unless they gave the names 
of their sex partners,” he said. A 
policy toward the end of the war, 
according to the author, placed 
some gays in a “salvageable 
category” when there was a 
shortage of manpower. 

Berube said he reached the 
unexpected conclusion that 
modern gays and World War II 
veterans shared a similar ex¬ 
perience: gays are watching their 
loved ones die from AIDS while 
veterans were watching their 
comrades die from attrition. 

What else has Berube learned 
from his investigation? 

“The 1940s have really come 
alive for me,” he said. “We have 
an image of our [gay] history that 
the farther back we go, the more 
oppressive it gets. It’s not like 
that. It swings back and forth. 
I’m struck by how open these gay 
men and lesbian soldiers were 
and how good they generally felt 
about themselves.” 

Berube said he had also learn¬ 
ed that the military’s current 
anti-gay policy is the most ab¬ 
solute it has ever been. 

He concluded it is important 
to tell the story of homosexuals in 
the military during World War II 
immediately because we can’t af¬ 
ford to lose that part of our 
history. 

‘ ‘A lot of gays and lesBians put 
their lives on the line when they 
didn’t have to. They could have 
stayed out,” he said. 

“They deserve to be remem¬ 
bered.” 


As The Gay Community Ages, 

Many Men Find It's True 

by Marv. Shaw 

In the midst of Gay Pride Week in 1972, it occurred to Jor¬ 
dan Lee that precious little attention was being paid to the 
needs of older gay men and lesbians. His concern led to the 
formation of a discussion group of six people at the 
Metropolitan Community Church. 

From that beginning has evolved G-40 Plus, with over 350 
people on its mailing list and two meetings a month, with 
average attendance over 70. This history and commentary was 
given to B.A.R. by Lee and Wade Pierce recently at the First 
Unitarian Church of San Francisco, the group’s home base. 


The first formal meeting un¬ 
der its adopted name took place 
in a private home in August 1973, 
with thirteen attending. Intend¬ 
ed to include both men and wo¬ 
men originally, the women left 
when a group exclusively for les¬ 
bians was formed in Marin Coun¬ 
ty. Outreach to women is still of¬ 
fered from time to time, but it 
hasn’t been successful in attract¬ 
ing a stable female attendance. 

“I’m afraid they feel over¬ 
whelmed when they do come,” 
Lee explained, “with so many 
men here.” 

Nevertheless, there are con¬ 
nections. On the day of the inter¬ 
view, the women writers from Gay 
and Lesbian Outreach for Elders 
were guests for a presentation. 
The program was typical of a 
GAO Plus meeting, which will of¬ 
ten feature speakers, with a social 
hour following. 

A primary major purpose was 
to provide a social and educa¬ 
tional alternative to the bars, a 
more humanized environment in 
which older gays could relate in 
a relaxed atmosphere and share 
experiences. It was also seen as a 
possible way to change the at¬ 
titudes of younger gay iften to 
their elders. 

According to Lee and Pierce, 
this purpose has not been as 
much realized as the members 
would like. As Lee sees it, the 
reason lies in the inabilty of the 
younger men to recognize that 
they too will grow old. 

Both long-time members 
stressed that the attendees value 
most of the positive changes in 
self concept that occur, with all 
the old stereotypes and spurious 
mythology about the isolation 
and bitterness of older gays con¬ 
tradicted. Pierce especially em¬ 
phasized the extended family 
feeling that prevails. 

As Lee looked back over the 
history, he saw the matter of get¬ 
ting known as the main problem. 
Because so many gay men could 
not see the relevance to their own 
lives, it was hard to get the word 
throughout the gay community. 
Many older men were also deep¬ 
ly closeted. However, the place¬ 
ment of ads in the Bay Guardian 
and the magazine Vector, 
published by the Society for In¬ 
dividual Rights, gradually made 
the organization better known 
and attracted participants. 

While GAO Plus does not con¬ 
centrate on particular problems, 
such as alcoholism, it does act as 
a referral agency, steering older 
gays to health care, psychother- 

BAY AREA REPORTER 


apy, and political action as re¬ 
quested. Also, they are col¬ 
laborators in the GALAXY effort 
to provide housing for aging gay 
merr and lesbians. 

The organization is relatively 
loose and informal. Lee is the 
coordinator-chairperson, with a 
nine member steering committee 
to assist him. There are no elec¬ 
tions; all positions are volunteer. 
There are no dues; all contribu¬ 
tions are voluntary also. 

For some years, GAO Plus has 
been an official part of the First 
Unitarian Church, but the group 
itself is non-religious. There are 
two great advantages to this rela¬ 
tionship: housing and independ¬ 
ence. 



Jordan Lee (Photo: Rink) 


Lee and Pierce cited similar 
groups in the U.S., most notably 
Senior Action in a Gay Environ¬ 
ment (SAGE) in New York, GLOE 
here in San Francisco, and the 
Rainbow Coalition in Los Ange¬ 
les (not to be confused with the 
political organization founded by 
Jesse Jackson). Lee pointed out 
that as the total population ages 
and gay awareness increases, 
there will be more such groups, 
with larger memberships. 

Public recognition is growing 
too, with participants appearing 
in the GLOE cable car chanting 
such catchy bits as “Two, four, 
six, eight—How do you know 
your grandma’s straight?” 

Within the gay community 
GAO Plus is also gaining positive 
recognition, as collaborators with 
the Godfather service group and 
contributors to the AIDS Food 
Bank. 

“It will exist ’til Hell freezes 
over,” Lee replied to the question 
of the group’s future. 

And the last word was Pierce’s, 
“It is wonderfully enriching.” 

G-40 Plus meets two Sundays 
a month at the First Unitarian 
Church, Geary at Franklin. Infor¬ 
mation can be secured by calling 
552-1997. • 

JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 79 








jmm jtudio 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 80 




FRIDAY 27 


• A Little Glitter and Lots of Guts: the Eighth Annual' 1 
Gay Musical Celebration, First Congregational Church, 
Post and Mason Sts., S.F., 8 PM, $7-$13. The San Fran¬ 
cisco Gay Men's Chorus is joined by the San Francisco 
Lesbian Chorus, Barbary Coast Cloggers, Men About 
Town, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band, 
and soloists from the Society of Lesbian and Gay Com¬ 
posers. 

• Unfinished Business: The New AIDS Show: stage 
performance. Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St., S.F., 
8 PM, $9 with $1 discount with donation of canned 
good or toiletry item for the Food Bank. 

• S.F. International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival: 
Barbara Hammer Recent Works, Roxie Cinema, 3117 
16th St., S.F., 6 PM, $5; Hidden Pleasures, Roxie 
Cinema, 8 PM, $5; and Wiener Brut, Roxie, 10 PM, $5. 

• Video Festival: in conjunction with the S.F. Interna¬ 
tional Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Coming of Age, 
Video Free America, 442 Shotwell, S.F., 7 PM, $ 5; and 
Inevitable Love, Video Free America, 9 PM, $5. 

• Mr. Drummer '86 Finals: leather's biggest night, 
Trocadero Transfer, 520 4th St., S.F., 9 PM, $15, plus the 
first Drummerboy contest. Tickets at Mr. S Leathers, All 
American Boy, Headlines, and Ambush Leather. 

• Femprov: comedy, Baybrick Inn, 1190 Folsom St., 
S.F., 7 PM, free. 

• Becky Reardon and Judy Munsen: music, Artemis 
Cafe, 1199 Vallencia, S.F., 7 and 9 PM. 

• Gay Artists and Writers Collective: poetry reading, 
The Parsonage, 555-A Castro St., S.F., 9 PM. Featuring 
Lloyd Stensrud, Don Chan Mark, and John Powers. 

• An Evening of Pride: gay pride celebration, 'N Touch, 
1548 Polk St., S.F., 11 PM. Featuring Leola Jiles and 
Camille Duncan. 

• Black and White Men Together: party honoring Dr. 
John Bush, National Co-Chair of BWMT, 8 PM, 824 Fell 
St., S.F., BYO. Call 821-6296 or 621-0558 for more in¬ 
formation. 

• Jack-O-Rama: jack-off celebration sponsored by J.O. 
Buddies, 260 Shotwell, S.F., doors open 9:30-11:30 PM, 
$10 includes beverage, clothes check, and supplies. Call 
931-0838 for more information. 

• Fraternal Order of Gays: card fest, 304 Gold Mine Dr., 
S.F., 8 PM. Call 641-0999 for more information. 

• S.F. Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Parade: last safety 
monitor training. Women's Building, 3543 18th St., S.F., 
registration begins 6:30 PM, training 7-10 PM. Call 
861-5404 for more information. 

• Jackie Taylor: music, Sutter's Mill Cellar Supper Club 
and Cabaret, 77 Battery St., S.F., beginning at 8 PM. For 
cocktail or dinner reservations call 788-8377. 

• The Children's Hour: stage presentation, Theatre 
Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St., S.F., 8:30 PM, $9-12. Lillian 
Heilman's landmark drama set at a girl's school in the 
1930's. It is a suspenseful tale of two women caught in 
the panic and destruction of homophobia. Call 
861-5079 for details. 

• The Happy Hour Celebrity Backyard Barbecue and 
Pool Party: stage presentation. Club 181, 181 Eddy St., 
S.F., 10 PM. Doris Fish and Phillip R. Ford in an all now 
summertime revue. "Guests” include Ginger Quest, 
Sandal, Lez Taylor, Tippi, Phil Mangano, Cher, Tommy 
Pace, Imelda Marcos, Janice Sukaitis, Mrs. Miller, Miss 
X, Timmy Spence, Pierre (Mr. Lucky) Merkle, and the 
amazing 17-year old Leslie Gore. Call 626-9548 or 
621-3748 for details. 

• Diablo Valley Metropolitan Comumunity Church: 

spiritual renewal service, 2247 Concord Blvd., Concord, 
7:30 PM. With Rev. Betty Pederson. Call 827-2960 for 
details. 



tations, and Neighborhood Voices; ARC/AIDS Vigil, 
2:45 PM, free, with Bill Pope: Portrait of a Native Son 
On the Safe Side, Hero of My Own Life, and Grey 
Hideaway; The Awakening of Nancy Kaye, 4:45 PM; The 
Absence of Us, 5:35 PM, with Assembly at Dyke High 
and Where There's Smoke; Love on the Line, 6:45 pm 
with The Right Stuff; Men Behind Bars, 8 PM; and 
Chance of a Lifetime, 10 PM, with Chinese Characters, 
and Castro—The Video. 

• Unfinished Business: the New AIDS Show: stage 
performance (see Friday for details). 

• A Little Glitter and Lots of Guts: the Eighth Annual 
Gay Musical Celebration, First Congregational Church, 
Post and Mason Sts., S.F., 8 PM, $7-13. The San Fran¬ 
cisco Gay Men's Chorus is joined by the Liederman Gay 
Men's Chorus of San Jose, Foggy City Dancers, Men 
About Town, City Swing, and the Vocal Minority. 

• Us Girls: dance party for women and their friends, 
16th Note, 3116 16th St., S.F., 9 PM to 2 AM, $4. Funk, 
Reggae, Salsa, Calypso, and political rap. 

• Trocadero Transfer: pre-parade Rollout Dance 520 
4th St., S.F., 10 PM to 7 AM, $7. 

• The Normal Heart: stage performance, Berkeley 
Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley, 2 PM. 
A special benefit performance for the San Francisco 
AIDS Foundation and the Pacific Center AIDS Project, 
$25 donation tax deductible. 

• San Francisco Track and Field Club: track festival, 
McAteer High School, Portola and O'Shaughnessy, S.F.! 
10 AM. Entry fee $6, medals awarded to first three 
places in all events. Entertainment by the Hayward Raw- 
Rahs, $2 admission. Call 558-8282 for more informa¬ 
tion. 

• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: party to honor 
Virginia Apuzzo, Jean O'Leary, and Bruce R. Voeller, 
Alamo Square Inn, 719 Scott St., S.F., 6-8 PM. Spon-. 
sored by the ten past and present Bay Area members of 
the Task Force board, the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian/Gay 
Democratic Club, the Harvey Milk Lesbian/Gay 
Democratic Club, the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic 
Club, the Stonewall Gay Democratic Club, and Concern¬ 
ed Republicans for Individual Rights. Special guests will 
include Harry Britt, Mary Morgan, Armistead Maupin, 
Niles Merton, Danny Williams, and Jeff Levi. 

• Pre-Parade Slumber Party: sponsored by the Balloon 
Girls, Alamo Square Saloon, 600 Fillmore St., S.F., 5 PM 
until, $1.98. 

• Over Our Heads: comedy, Hotel Utah, 500 4th St., 
S.F.,9 PM, $2. Call421-8308or777-3411 for reserva¬ 
tions. 

• Different Spokes: Half Moon Bay/Skyline Drive ride, 
meet at the Post Office in Half Moon Bay at 10:30 AM, 
moderate pace, 45 miles. Call 931-9587 for more infor¬ 
mation. 

• East Bay FrontRunners: run at UC campus, meet at 
University and Oxford Sts., Berkeley, at 9:30 AM, two- 
mile loop. Call 526-3506 or 261-3246 for more informa¬ 
tion. 

• San Francisco FrontRunners: Golden Gate Bridge 
run, begins at 10 AM at the unpaved parking lot east of 
the toll plaza, one to 3Vi miles flat. 

• Girth and Mirth Club: gay pride party, call 680-7612 
for location. 

• Jackie Taylor: music (see Friday for details). 

• HTLV-3 Antibody Testing Support and Education: 
workshop, Pacific Center, 2712 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley, 
10 AM to 1 PM. Call 548-8283 or 832-1254 for more in¬ 
formation. 

• The Children's Hour: stage presentation (See Friday 
for details). 

• The Happy Hour Celebrity Backyard Barbecue and 
Pool Party: stage presentation (See Friday for details). 

• Writing Workshop: for women 60 and older, Opera¬ 
tion Concern, 1853 Market St., S.F., 12 noon. Sponsored 
by Gay and Lesbian Outreach to Elders, call 626-7000 
for more information. 


• Women's Drop-in Space: conversation and caring, 
1615 Polk St., upstairs, S.F., 7-9 PM, every Friday. 


SATURDAY 28 


• 4th Annual Gay Comedy Extravaganza: one show 
only with Tom Ammiano, Suzy Berger, Laurie Bushman, 
Marga Gomez, Doug Holsclaw, Kelly Kittel, Linda 
Moakes, Mario Mondelli, Monica Palacios, Romanovsky 
and Phillips, Karen Ripley, and Danny Williams, Castro 
Theater, 429 Castro St., S.F., midnight, $6. Call 
861-5404 for more information. 

• Puttin' On the Ritz: dance party sponsored by Bay 
Area Career Women, Gift Center Pavilion, 888 Brannan 
St., S.F., 8:30 PM to 2 AM, $22 in advance, $28 at the 
door (limited). For women only, no-host cocktails, hors 
d'oeuvres, formal attire optional. Tickets available at all 
Bass ticket centers. Call 495-5393 for more information. 

• S.F. International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival: No 
Sad Songs, Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F., noon, $3; 
Ten Years of Shorts, Roxie Cinema, 1:30 PM, $3; Work-'* 
ing Class Chronicle, Roxie, 4 PM, $3, with Cerebral Ac¬ 
cident; Mara, 6 PM, $ 5; A Limitless Place, 8 PM, $5; and 
We Were One Man, 10 PM, $5. 

• Video Festival: in conjunction with the S.F. Interna¬ 
tional Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Wild Life, Video Free 
America, 442 Shotwell, S.F., noon, free; PSA, Video Free 
America, 12:45 PM, free, with Parents Come Out, Orien- 



The Fourth Annual Gay Comedy Ex- 

travaganza will be at the Castro June 28 

(Photo: J^AItman) 


SUNDAY 29 


• San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Parade and 
Celebration: ok folks, this is what you've been waiting 
for. Be at the corner of Market and Front/Spear Sts. by 
11 AM. The march will proceed down Market Street to 
Civic Center Plaza for the celebration, from noon to 
6 PM. Have fun and be careful! 














































• HTLV-3 Antibody Testing Support and Education: 

workshop (see Saturday for details). 

• Sandy Geller: music, Baybrick Inn, 1190 Folsom St., 
S.F., 7-9 PM, free. 

• San Francisco Hiking Club: general club meeting. 
Eureka Valley Recreation Center, Collingwood and 19th 
Sts., S.F., 7:30 PM. 


• Pacific Center AIDS Project: People with AIDS/ARC 
Support Group and Lovers, Friends and Family of People 
with AIDS/ARC, 6-8 PM. Call 420-8181 for details. 

• Meditation and Healing Circle: meeting, Haight- 
Ashbury Community Center, Park Branch Library, 1833 
Page £t., 3.F., 7:30 PM. Call 864-5483 for details. 

• Gay International Folk Dancing: for lesbians and gay 
men, Eureka Valley Recreation Center, Collingwood 
Park, S.F., teaching 7:30-8 PM, request dancing 
8-9:30 PM, $2.50. Call 585^9784 or 552-8413 for 
details. 


• San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band: 

practice, every Tuesday, Pacific Ballet Center, 11th St. 
and Mission, S.F. Interested? Call the Bandfone, 
621-5619. 


• Gay-Nite: Rollergarden, 15721 East 14th St., San 
Leandro, 7:30 PM-Midnight. 

• The Temescal Gay Men's Chorus: rehearsal, Trinity 
Hall, 2320 Dana (at Durant), Berkeley, 7 PM. For details, 
call 465-7388 or 655-3825. 


VVEEI/ 

% s' m D 


The S.F. Gay Men's Chorus invites you to 
A Little Glitter and Lots of Guts June 27 and 
28 at the First Congregational Church 


• Solid as a Rock 1986: gay freedom day party. Gift- 
center Pavilion, 888 Brannan St., S.F., 4 PM to midnight, 
$12 in advance, $16 at the door. Sponsored by Dr. San¬ 
ford Kellman, Randall Schiller, Bradley Chester Wise, and 
the I-Beam family. With Sylvester. 


• Diablo Valley Metropolitan Community Church: bi- 

ble study, 2247 Concord Blvd., Concord, 7 PM. Call 
827-2960 for more information. 

• The Children's Hour: stage presentation (See Friday 
for details). 

• Building Intimate Relationships: ongoing group for 
one or both partners of a male couple, 8 to 10 PM. Call 
Gordon Murray, MFCC, at 821-1718, or Scott Eaton, MA, 
861-0306 for more information. 


• Follow the Float: gay pride tea dance, Trocadero 
Transfer, 520 4th St., S.F., 5 PM until, $7. 

• Tom Ammiano: performs at gay day at the Eagle, 11th 
and Harrison, S.F., 5 PM. 

• The Children's Hour: stage performance. Theatre 
Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St., S.F., 3and 8:30 PM, $9-$12 
(see Friday for details). 

• S.F. International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival: Born 
in Flames, Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F., 8 PM, $5. 

• Stephen Herric Quintet: music, El Rio, 3158 Mission 
St., S.F., 4-8 PM. Rebirth of Tropical Nights. 

• Sharon Russell Band: music, A Little More Club, 702 
15th St., S.F., 6-9 PM. Plus buffet for hungry women. 

• Clean and Sober: dance, Central YMCA, 220 Golden 
Gate, S.F., 4-8 PM, $6-$10 donation. 

• Alexander Hamilton Post 448 of the American 
Legion: open house. Green Room, Veterans Building, 
401 Van Ness Ave., S.F., 1-4 PM, free. No-host bar. 

• San Francisco FrontRunners: pre-parade run, begins 
at 10 AM at the Castro Theater, 429 Castro St., S.F., 
finishes at the Embarcadero. 

• Third Annual Parade Eucharist: gathering at the 
parade formation site, 10 AM. Homily by Rev. Jerry 
Brown, with Rev. Sue Bergmans and Rev. Bernie Mayes. 


• Pacific Center AIDS Project: People with AIDS/ARC 
Support Group, Fairmont Hospital, San Leandro, 
3-5 PM. Call 420-8181 for details. 

• Diablo Valley MCC: Bible Study and Prayer & Praise 
Worship, 2247 Concord Blvd., Concord. Bible Study at 
7 PM, Prayer & Praise Worship at 8:15 PM. Call 
827-2960 for details. 

• Beginning Yoga Classes: 6:30-8 PM. Located near 
16th and Valencia. Free for PWA. Call 864-1141 for 
details. 

• Western Star Dancers: square dance for experienced 
mainstream level dancers, Central YMCA, 220 Golden 
Gate Ave., 2nd floor theater. Both males and females 
welcome. Every Wednesday. Call 621-5631 or 
621-3990 for details. 

• Men's Wart Clinic: removal of penile and external and 
internal anal venereal warts, Oakland Feminist Women's 
Health Center, Oakland, sliding scale. Staff physician is 
Dr. Fred Strauss of the Gay Men's Health Collective. Call 
444-5676 for more information. 

• S.F. Lesbian/Gay Chorus: "Together In Harmony" 
rehearsals at All-Saints Episcopal Church, 1350 Waller 
St. (near Masonic), 7:30-10 PM. Call 334-6542 for 
details. 

• Fruit Punch: gay radio, KPFA, 94.1 FM, 10 PM. 


MONDAY 30 


THURSDAY 3 


• Robert Gluck, Martha Courtot, Tede Matthews, and 
Judi Friedman: poetry reading, Modern Times 
Bookstore, 968 Valencia St., S.F., 7:30 PM, $3-$5 
sliding scale. 

• AIDS Healing Service: with speaker Louis Nassaney, 
Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco, 150 
Eureka St., S.F., 6:30 PM. 

• Slightly Older Lesbians: meeting, Billy De Frank Les¬ 
bian/Gay Community Center of Santa Clara County, 86 
Keyes St., San Jose, 7-9 PM. Call (408) 265-0416 for 
details. 

• Pacific Center AIDS Project: support group for health 
care workers in the AIDS Epidemic, Lakeshore Ave. Bap¬ 
tist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland, 6-8 PM. 
Meets every Monday. 


TUESDAY 1 


• Gay Cable Network: Cable 6, 9 PM. Pride and Pro¬ 
gress features gay news, views, and sports, plus an in¬ 
terview with Bill May, founder of SIR; The Right Stuff 
features hostess Monica Palacios with special coverage 
°' the Fish/Ford mudsling and fishfry. 

• Hunter Davis: music, Baybrick Inn, 1190 Folsom St., 
S-F., 7-9 PM, free. 

• Reclaiming Sexual Spirit: an evening devoted to put- 
bng the fun back into sex. All-American Meeting Hall, 
2269 Market St. (at Noe), S.F., 7:30-10:30 PM, $10. Call 
861-0306 for details. 


• Living Sober Conference: opens at noon, Civic 
Center auditorium. Special AA meeting at 8 PM. 

• Feathers 'n Flesh: N'Touch, 1528 Polk St., S.F., 
10:30 PM, $1. Male Strippers, comics, and female im¬ 
personators. 

• Older Gay Men's Rap Group: 60 +, Friendship Room, 
711 Eddy St., S.F., 2:45 PM. Led by George Birmisa. Call 
626-7000 for more information. Sponsored by Gay and 
Lesbian Outreach to Elders. 

• San Francisco FrontRunners: one to five mile fun run, 
begins at 6 PM at McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park, S.F. 

• The Children's Hour: stage performance (see Friday 
for details). 

• Making Friends With Anger: ongoing class for men 
and women who want to feel more comfortable with 
anger, led by Scott Eaton, MA. Call 861-0306 for more 
information. 

• Bonnie Hayes: music, Baybrick Inn, 1190 Folsom St., 
S.F., 7 PM, free 

• Men's Support Group: meeting, Billy De Frank 
Lesbian & Gay Community Center, 86 Keyes St., San 
Jose, 7 PM. 


The Bay Area Reporter welcomes organizations, 
businesses, and individuals to submit items for its week¬ 
ly calendar. Placement in the calendar is free and the sole 
responsibility of the editors. Deadline: 5 PM on 
Thursdays. This Week compiled by Will Snyder. 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 81 







































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G ay pride week kicked off 
in San Francisco last Sun¬ 
day, June 22, at the SF- 
Eagle where for a mere $6 a 
horde of supportives basked in 
the sun, slurped up almost 85 
gallons of beer, tested and tasted 
the fried chicken and corn on the 
cob, and got their money’s worth 
as Mario Mondelli wowed ’em 
with his distinctive satire about 
life in general and what it’s like 
to grow up as a gay man in an Ital¬ 
ian family; Sharon McNight 
highfooted it down from the 
RushRiv (where Tom Vetrano 
finally won a title as Mr. Russian 
River) and delivered a socko per¬ 
formance with a couple of stand¬ 
ing ovations and 100% approval 
from the crowd in attendance 
(along with Rita Rockett) as the 
grand marshals of this year’s Gay 
Pride Parade and Celebration. 
Several hundred dollars were rais¬ 
ed for the cause. 


In spite of everyone’s uplifting 
attitude we are still haunted by 
the spectre of the LaRouche in¬ 
ternment initiative. If you ever 
wanted to fight for a “cause” 
now’s the time to don your armor 
and do battle on the political 
fields. Hundreds of thousands of 
signatures were counted last 
week, so it looks like we’re head¬ 
ed for quarantine unless we all 
get out to beat the initiative 
which will be on the November 
ballot. 

Thousands of tourists are 
pouring into the “City that 
Knows How” for this Sunday’s 
biggest gay extravaganza. Wher¬ 
ever you’re standing and watch¬ 
ing or riding on a float, be 


Marcus says there're hot men on the Eagle patio every Sun¬ 
day. (Photo: Marcus) 


Sanford Kellman, Bradley 
Wise, and other friends are 
throwing a team dance at the 
Giftcenter Pavilion, and the Troc 
will rock out with the traditional 
cha-chananigans. 

Friday, the Mr. Drummer con¬ 
testants will vie for the title at 
Trocadero, and a myriad of ac¬ 
tivities are ready and waiting for 
your esoteric tastes. Theatre 
Rhino glides into an ecstatic pro¬ 
duction of The Childrens Hour; 
the SF Gay/Lesbian Inti. Film 
Festival is still running at the 
Roxie and Castro Theaters; the 
big comedy night at the Castro 
Theatre with Tom Ammiano, 
Danny Williams, Monica Pala¬ 
cios, Marga Gomez, Suzy Berger, 
and Romanovsky & Phillips is at 
midnight Saturday (only $6 at the 
door); and so many other ac¬ 
tivities it makes your head spin. 
Even the J/0 buddies are getting 
in the act with a party at 260 
Shotwell Friday, June 27 (call 
931-0838 for details). 

Tomorrow night (Thurs., June 
26), keep Jim Cvitanich and 
Mark Abramson from going to 
jail by joining the fundraising ac¬ 
tivities at the Pilsner Inn; they’ll 
be showing video excerpts from 
the last three Men Behind Bars 
(Continued on page 84) 


Inti. Mr. Leather Scott Tucker will make his San Francisco 
debut on the Powerhouse float in the Gay Parade 

(Photo: Marcus) 


proud—proud of the accomplish¬ 
ments of the past and other vic¬ 
tories we have experienced. 

There are so many activities 
associated with the parade, it is 


impossible to list them all here. 
If you want to stick by the south¬ 
ern hearth after the Parade, the 
Cal Eagles M/C and the Constan¬ 
tines M/C are throwing a beer 
bust at the SF-Eagle as a benefit 
for the Coming Home Hospice 
for only $6 and all the beer you 
can drink. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 82 
























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On California's Outrageous New 
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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 83 










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the waters of his beloved San 
Francisco Bay, and another 
chapter closed, bringing you all 
up-to-date on the status of the way 
we were and will continue to be 
as we brave the stormy waters that 
confront us. 

Did you catch Rita Rockett 
Tuesday night on Mike Hegedus’ 
poignant and factual reporting 
on that great lady in our midst? 
I applaud KRON and KPIX for 
the awareness of their television 
constituency. Life goes on de¬ 
spite our sad encounters and 
we’re better, stronger, and more 
compassionate than anyone ever 
imagined. As I said before, don’t 
give up hope and be proud of 
your part, no matter how small, 
in this day and age of unexpected 
and traumatic affairs! 

★ ★ ★ 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 84 


A s far as dish goes, there’s 
not too much to say. We’re 
losing Will Tucker to San 
Diego (his choice) and Michael 
(Martha) Mitchell dropped in 
with his ever-loving John enroute 
to Yosemite (confirmed reserva¬ 
tions, yet) from Detroit; George 
Burgess let the community in on 
his happiness with this postcard- 
hot man Frank from Sydney who 
even had Saucy Aussie Kym 
Whittington in a tizzy. If you 
think Paul Hogan is hot, check 
this “G’day Dude” out! 

The Inti. Mr. Leather winners 
will be here to add some titilla- 
tion to our parade (lots of leath¬ 
er and biker men this year) and 
Vern Stewart has the corner on 
their appearance with an invita¬ 
tion-only soiree at the Power¬ 
house after their hectic whirl¬ 
wind tour of Los Angeles and its 
great parade last weekend. 

Down San Jose way, their Gay 
Pride celebration was enhanced 
by marching band dudes in atten¬ 
dance and good vibes all around. 

★ ★ ★ 

Y ou don’t need heaviness 
hanging around you this 
week; join Rita Rockett 
and Mark “Bubbles” Abramson 
tonight at the Special and Castro 
Station as they celebrate their 
birthdays across the street from 
each other. “Beware of Drunks” 
crossing signs will be posted as 
their fans parade back and forth. 
It should be a hoot. 

Have a good time, be careful 
and cautious on the streets. Keep 
your legs crossed and remember: 
The wise man does at once what 
the fool does, finally! Glory in 
your pride—it’s yours for the 
taking. • 


L ast Thursday, the on-going 
SF-Eagle calendar con¬ 
tinued with the new Mr. 
August 1987 being Michael 
Chase—certainly a deserving 
winner. The Watering Hole (sans 
a disc jockey) opened their Feed 
Bag food concession last week, 
adding yet another eating place 
right near Rings and the Double 
D. Ken Lackey continues to reap 
the rewards of his expertise as a 
waiter, and the Double D is hap¬ 
py to have him aboard, and that 


Ron Casp worked Bruce over at the Mr. Northern California 
Drummer contest _ (Photo: Rink) 


The Great Michael Chase, Mr. August on the Eagle Bar Chest 
calendar (Photo: R. Pruzan) 


Marcus 

(Continued from page 82) 

shows, and auction off all the 
paraphernalia used in those pro¬ 
ductions. Sorry I told you it was 
last Thursday, but I was sober as 
a stone and that’s how things 
happen. 

Saturday afternoon, the War- 
locks M/C is having a poker run 
departing from the Double D 
Saloon at Noon and a beerbust at 
the SF-Eagle afterward for only 
$6. The big showing of natural 
gemstone jewelry continues at 
the Obelisk through the 29th, 
and if you can decipher their ex¬ 
planatory letter you’re doing bet¬ 
ter than me! The art show on the 
walls at the SF-Eagle is by Hot 
Man Scott and it’s a veritable 
paean to buns, but then if you 
knew Scott you’d understand. 

The Gay/Lesbian Day commit¬ 
tee eschews all the old prohibi¬ 
tions on esoteric marchers and 
this year the 15 Association and 
the Janus Society along with an¬ 
other group will march together 
for the first time, asserting their 
S&M existence in our society. 

Meet the Mr. Drummer con¬ 
testants at the Powerhouse 
Thursday, June 26, at 2100 hours, 
and on Saturday night, meet 
Scott Tucker, Inti. Mr. Leather, 
and Peter Gallo, the 1st runner- 
up; both have been on a whirl¬ 
wind tour and they were in the 
Los Angeles parade last Sunday. 

It’s a busy week and a week to 
assert your support for causes we 
all must meet head-on as chal¬ 
lenges are hurled our way with in¬ 
creasing frequency. But march or 
observe proudly. This is your 
week to shine and shine you will! 

★ ★ ★ 


includes Patrick Le Francais, who 
rules supreme there even without 
Baubbles at his side. 


In spite of the dwindling 
amount of bars this side of 
Market Street, life and especial¬ 
ly the leather life thrives and con¬ 
tinues despite everything the 
non-gay press may write. Last 
week a photographer and cam¬ 
eraman from the S.F. Examiner 
were around talking and ques¬ 
tioning leather men about the 
lifestyle changes, (if any) with the 
AIDS crisis upon us—I hope 
they give us a fair shake in their 
analysis. They certainly talked to 
the right people for the story. 

But over the weekend it was 
quite sad to pass 11th & Folsom 
and not see that bright red Febe’s 
sign aglow. But it’s not the end of 
any era. Leather, the lifestyle, and 
the bars will exist no matter what, 
and I’ll bet you all agree! 

Ron Duncan breezed into town 
over the weekend and in quiet 
moments shared by close friends 
and loving dudes, the ashes of 
Robert Uyvari were spread over 


NEWS 

YOU 

NEED 

TO 

KNOW... 


B.A.R. 


BAY AREA REPORTER SUBSCRIPTION FORM 

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call you make 
is donated to 
H.O.M.E. (Hospice 
Outside the Medical 
Environment), an 
organization dedicated 
to providing medical aid 
to those in financial need. 

© 1986 RAMROD PRODUCTIONS 


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Hear Hot Guys and Experience 
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G ay Pride weekend is once 
again upon us and as we 
attend the various festivi¬ 
ties associated with this weekend, 
let us all pause—take a deep 
breath, lift your head erect, throw 
your shoulders back—and say “I 
am so proud for being gay.” We 
should put all negative thoughts 
and feelings behind us (or in the 
closet for the time being) and 
smile at everyone we happen to 
pass. Political, social, ethnic, 
and sexual biases should be 
replaced with a strong need to 
meld as one in the common bond 
of solidarity. 

In essence, this week, day, or 
hour, we are a community of men 
and women celebrating our lives 
and the lives of those who cham¬ 
pioned our cause for Gay Libera¬ 
tion! Stonewall was not the begin¬ 
ning but the apex of years of 
unrelenting struggle for our free¬ 
dom. The struggle continues, 
and it must, if we are ever to be 
really free. 

So during your rounds of at¬ 
tending concerts, parties, dances, 
the parade and celebration, take 
a moment to reaffrim your com¬ 
mitment to gaining “true free¬ 
dom” in every sense of the word. 
Please, enjoy yourself and raise 
your spirits with the knowledge 
that you are celebrating your life 
as a gay man or lesbian and We 
Will Survive! 

WHERE EAGLES DARE 

The California Eagles Motor¬ 
cycle Club had a very successful 
four-day motorcycle tour through 
the Gold Rush country during 
the weekend of June 5 through 8. 
The tour took the club through 
Yosemite, the American River, 
and Alleghany. The individuals 
who attended had a great time, 
and I’m sure are looking forward 
to next year’s tour. 

As on any motorcycle run or 
tour, there were awards given for 
various achievements during the 
run/tour. Doug Holmes received 
the award for motorcycle touring, 
based upon the rider who best 
fitted his motorcycle and belong¬ 
ings for the tour. Dan Jeansonne 
of the Constantines claimed top 
honors for his efficiency in riding 
and camping. The entertainment 
award went to Jim Cahill of the 
California Eagles for his piano 
bar at the Kenton Mine Lodge. 
Wil Rutland of the CMC won his 
award for the most original per¬ 
formance in male attire and on a 
motorcycle. The award for the 
best test scores based on knowl¬ 
edge of the Gold Country was 
shared by Greg Sedwick and Ed 
Ludeman. The “night maneu¬ 
vers” exercise at Finnon Lake for 
superb display of commando 
abilities produced two award win¬ 
ners. Ed LaVoie placed second, 
with Gary Kenyon of the Con¬ 
stantines coming out on top as 
the commando you would want 
on your side. 

Congratulations to the winners 
and to the California Eagles on 
the success of your first major 
event. Just by reading the guide¬ 
book each participant received, 
a lot of thought and careful plan¬ 
ning went into this event. 

Sunday, June 29, the Califor¬ 
nia Eagles and the Constantines 
will host a joint beer bust at the 
S.F. Eagle patio after the Gay 
Freedom Day Parade. The event 
starts at 3 p.m. and the usual fare 
and fol de rol will prevail amongst 
a sea of glistening male torsos. 
Proceeds from this event will go 


to the Coming Home Hospice. 
Hope to see you there! 

RAISING THOSE BUCKS 

The staff of the Men’s Room is 
happy to report that more than 
$2,000 was raised Saturday after¬ 
noon, June 14, at the A Day for 
Parkay fundraiser. The bar was 
packed all afternoon long as 
friends and customers of the 
Men’s Room streamed in and out 
to contribute to this worthy cause 
for Parkay, former Miss Gay San 
Francisco. The fundraiser was to 
help defray medical expenses 
from a recent illness. Congratula¬ 
tions to the staff and manage¬ 
ment of the Men’s Room, and 
from all indications Parkay is do¬ 
ing fine. A hearty thank you to all 
who participated and helped 
make this effort a huge success. 

Sunday, June 15, Tony Trevizo, 
Grand Duke of San Francisco, 
along with Grand Duchess Deena 
Jones, members of both their 
court and the Grand Ducal Coun¬ 
cil, hosted the Third Annual Fa¬ 
ther’s Day Auction for the God¬ 


father Service Fund at the S.F. 
Eagle. Comedian Danny Wil¬ 
liams, Mark Friese, Dianne Greg¬ 
ory of B.A.R., Tom Roller, Steve 
Raffer, Executive Director of 
GGBA, and myself shared in auc¬ 
tioning off items during the after¬ 
noon. 

Also, a 50/50 raffle was held, 
with the proceeds to help rent a 
motorized cable car for the peo¬ 
ple with AIDS who wanted to be 
in this weekend’s parade but who 
are unable to march. When the 
winning number was drawn, the 
winner and his lover donated 
their half of the receipts back, 
which thus enabled the complete 
cost of the cable car to be paid. 

Well over $3,000 was raised for 
the Godfather Service Fund, 
which provides personal care 
packets to AIDS patients at 
Wards 5 A & B and Garden Sul¬ 
livan Hospital. The packets in¬ 
clude a bathrobe, slippers, toi¬ 
letries, and a teddy bear. 

Tony would like to thank all of 
the volunteers and individuals 
who participated in this event for 


Larrise (1.) is trying to help his friend Parkay (r.), who is ill 

(Photo: Rink) 


their help and support of the 
Godfather Service Fund and 
making this event a great success 
again! A special thank you to the 
two gentlemen who donated their 
50/50 raffle winnings back to 


help pay the rental of the cable 
car; the people with AIDS who 
will be riding it send their love! 
UP & COMING 
Men Behind Bars will hold a 
(Continued on next page) 


BAY AMEA REPORTER JUNE 2 %. 19*6 PAGE 85 














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riday, June 27 



Remy 

(Continued from previous page) 
Reunion Party & Auction Thurs¬ 
day, June 26, at the Pilsner Inn 
(225 Church St. at Market) start¬ 
ing at 8 p.m. They will have vid¬ 
eo highlights of all three of the 
Men Behind Bars productions 
and an auction of costumes, wigs, 
props, and other assorted do¬ 
nated items. Subtitled “Keep 
Men Behind Bars from Going 
Behind Bars,” come on out and 
kick off Gay Pride weekend with 
the casts, crews, and craziness of 
three years of Men Behind Bars! 
The WAG uniform I used to wear 
in the picture in this column will 
be going on the auction block, so 
bring your checkbook and check 
it out! See ya there! 

The Warlocks M/C will host 
their Poker Run Saturday, June 
28. Check-in is at noon at the 
Double D Saloon on Folsom 
Street. The event is open to both 
motorcyclists and individuals 
riding in cars. Starting point is 
the Double D and at each check¬ 
point you will be given directions 
to the next stop. The event ends 
up at the S.F. Eagle patio for a 
beer bust and lunch. The cost of 
$6 covers entry fee, beer bust, 
and lunch. Also, club members 
are selling 50/50 raffle tickets for 
a buck apiece. The event will be 
lots of fun; bring your out-of-town 
friends and try your luck. There 
will be cash prizes to the winners 
of the poker run, so come on out 
and join the fun! 

The Barbary Coasters M/C will 
host their 21st annual run Class 
of ’66 during the weekend of July 
25 through 27/ Cost is $66 if 
postmarked by July 15, $76 if 
postmarked by July 21, or $86 if 
hand delivered after July 21, but 
prior to the run date. Applica¬ 
tions will not be accepted at the 
run site. The cost includes all 
meals, 24-hour bar, field events 
(bike, buddy, and people), camp¬ 
site and costume contests, guest 
night show, Jock Strap King and 
Bobby Socks Queen of the Prom, 
and the club show. The run is 
limited to 200 guests, so get your 
applications now. They are avail¬ 
able at selected bars throughout 
the city. 


It was a hot day at the 9th annual Haight Street Fair 

(Photo: R. Pruzan) 


DO DA DE 

Birthday wishes to Gig Porter, 
Stephen Wick, and David Ander¬ 
son, all June babes, and may you 
all have many more. And I 
thought May was a mad birthday 
month. Our folks were real busy 
during those mid-summer 
nights! 

In case you’re wondering what 
drugs I might have been on when 
I wrote my last column, no drugs 
influenced my writing. However, 


the characters referred to, who 
belong to the Culpeppers and 
Pruitts, are actually real people 
who have real names. It’s a group 
of people I know very well, and we 
have created these unique in¬ 
dividuals. It’s all meant to be fun 
and camp and don’t be surpris¬ 
ed if Vionna Mae or Virgil pop 
up from time to time. 

That’s it for now. Enjoy your 
Gay Pride weekend and be proud 
of who you are and what you are. 
Aloha! • 


Forward Together-No Turning Back 


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★ Bazaar Calendar ★ 


THURSDAY 6/26 

Men Behind Bars Reunion, 

Party and Auction, Pilsner Inn, 
8 p.m., auction of costumes, wigs, 
props. 

Gay Community Awards 
Nominee’s Party, SF Eagle, 

8 p.m., beerbust $6. 

Mr. Drummer Contest Kick¬ 
off, Powerhouse, 9 p.m. 

FRIDAY 6/27 

GD [Grand Ducal] Ballot 

Nite, Phone Booth, 7-9 p.m. 
Int’l Mr. Leather Awards 
Welcome Party, Powerhouse, 

9 p.m. 

Mr. Drummer Contest ’86, 

Troc, 9 p.m., $15. 

SATURDAY 6/28 

Super 500 II, Cycle Runners 
M/C, 6/28-29. $35, apply w/fee to 
Roland Chavin, 419 Eureka St., 
SF 94114. 

George Armstrong Custer 
Day, Men’s Room, 1-5 p.m. 
Warlock M/C Beer Bust, SF 
Eagle, 3-6 p.m., $6. 

GD Ballot Night, Kimo’s, 
7-9 p.m. 

Pre-Parade Party, Casa Loma, 
9 p.m., hostesses: Balloon Girls. 
4th Annual Gay Comedy Ex¬ 
travaganza, Castro Theater, 
midnight, $6. 12 top cabaret 
stars. 


SUNDAY 6/29 

Gay & Lesbian Freedom Day 
Parade, Market St. to Civic 
Center, 11 a.m., rally to follow. 
Benefit For Coming Home 
Hospice, SF Eagle, 3-6 p.m., $6 
beer bust. Entertainment by 
Danny Williams, Tatiana, Sam 
Brooks; benefactors Cal Eagles 
M/C and Constantines M/C. 
Tea Dance, Casa Loma, 
3-8 p.m. 

Solid As A Rock, Giftcenter, 
4 p.m.-midnight, $12 adv., $15 
door, featuring Sylvester. 

GD Ballot Nite, The Village, 
5-7 p.m. 

Cats Opening, package draw¬ 
ing, Galleon, 6 p.m. 


TUESDAY 7/1 

Grand Ducal Application 
Party, Deadline, Galleon, 9 p.m. 


WEDNESDAY 7/2 

Powerhouse 1st Anniversary 
Week Kickoff, 9 p.m. (thru 
7/6). 

Announcement Party, The 
Stallion, 9 p.m., GD Candidates 
officially announced. • 

Compiled by Karl Stewart 
and Diedre 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 86 





























































TOP’BOTTOM’KINKY 

MAKE YOUR CHOICE BY DIALING 

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then press 

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T his little epigraph is being 
written in Portland after a 
long, long three-week vaca¬ 
tion which included Vancouver’s 
fabulous Expo ’86 and a honey¬ 
moon (?) evening in Victoria. I 
had never ridden so many ferries 
in my life, thanks to Steve Lien. 

My traveling companions to 
Vancouver, Steve Suss and Rob¬ 
ert (Beulah) Huffman, must have 
known of every little hot dog and 
hamburger stand up the coast. I 
think we stopped in 40 in an 
eight-hour drive—hi Mrs. Beas¬ 
ley’s. We finally arrives at the 
world-renowned Castle Pub to 
meet Kenny K.Y. and Roger, our 
host, who had a fantastic 18th 
floor apartment overlooking the 
bay, and then proceeded to have 
a few tiddles. You must remem¬ 
ber to have bought your liquor at 
the border through customs—it 
is expensive to drink in Van¬ 
couver. And I do mean expensive 
—$2.40 and up for draft beer, 
and $2.65 and up for drinks, and 
that is less than an ounce. 

However, Expo ’86 is worth the 
entire trip. And yes, Jimmy 
Quinn, Mr. Kenny K.Y. will be 
happy to escort you and your 
cohorts around the Expo, and I 
can tell you that you have to get 
up early every day. 9 a.m. is 
departure time if you wish to see 
the things of interest without 
waiting in long lines. 

The exhibits worth seeing are: 
General Motors’ Spirit Lodge, 
which is a mystic hologram ex¬ 
perience in which the speaker at 
the end disappears before your 
very eyes; and the Washington 
State pavilion, but you must 
remember the Expo is all about 
transportation and communica¬ 
tion, so be prepared. The Expo 
has a thing about stamping pass¬ 
ports at each exhibit. You buy a 
souvenir passport at the gift 
shops at the entrances and it is in¬ 
teresting to see the different 
stamps put into your book, and 
also a great reminder of where 
you have been. It is a large ex¬ 
hibit area and you can get tired 
easily, so wear comfortable shoes 
and definitely no heels, girls. (Get 
the message, Steve Lien?) 


Bridal Party 

Here come the brides, all 
dressed in white, and pretty as a 
picture. E.TV.C., the friendly San 
Francisco transgender group 
(transvestite, drag queen, 
transsexual—straight, gay, bi) 
presents a Bridal Party and 
Reception Thursday evening, 
June 26 at 8 p.m. Come join us 
and be a member of the Bridal 
Party. Come dressed as a bride, 
bridesmaid, flowergirl, or even a 
groom. 

A mock wedding ceremony 
where you can marry your male 
and female sides will be featured. 
A wedding cake, delightful mood 
music, and dancing will make 
this June bridal party a night to 
remember. 

T.T.V.C. socials are open to 
transvestites, transsexuals, 
significant others, and any per¬ 
son interested in the transgender 
community, be they gay, straight, 
or bi. 

Party fees for this bridal gala 
is $5 for members and $8 for 
guests. For more information 
please call 647-7970 or write 
E.TV.C. at P.0. Box 6486, San 
Francisco 94101. • 


Hot Daddy— Sunday Eagle patron enjoys the entertainment. 

(Photo: R. Pruzan) 


which are all popular late at 
night. The most popular bar we 
found day and night was the Cas¬ 
tle Pub, so don’t miss it. 

My last weekend in Portland 
was quite uneventful—nothing 
but booze and more booze and 
some very interesting people I 
met who want to be remembered 
to many people in the city. I’ll do 
that personally because I don’t 
want to embarrass anyone who is 
currently married to others. Hi, 
Kewpie Doll of Ginger’s Too. 

Yours truly and Steve Suss of 
the Ember-Avenue have a bet that 
whoever loses the most weight by 
Thanksgiving has to pay four air¬ 
fares from Portland to San Fran¬ 
cisco and back for the both of us 
and for Robert Huffman and 
Steve Lien, but Steve Suss has to 
lose 53, yes that is 53, pounds, 
while I have only to lose a mere 
29 pounds—and I will do it. We 
go on the wagon on the first of 
July ’til Thanksgiving. 

All I can say is that it is nice to 
be back home and back to work 
at the wonderful Googie’s on 
Geary—and yes, Howard, I did 
miss you screaming at me to wait 
on customers. It’s nice to see my 
wonderful roommate Craig 
Daley, the only one who keeps 
Sutter’s Mill together. 

A special thanks to all of the 
wonderful people at the Embers/ 
Avenue in Portland for the great 
three weeks, and a special thanks 
to both Steves for the ride to the 
airport. 

Your barbecue on Sunday, 
June and George Bunda, was just 


great, and it was so nice to be 
with such a large group of won¬ 
derful people. 

After more than three years at 
Googie’s I finally don’t have to 
work any more nights—all days 


with Wednesdays and Thursdays 
off. 

Don’t forget the Cable Car 
Awards performance of Cats com¬ 
ing up Saturday, the 11th of 
July—it should be a blast. • 


All in all, if you are planning a 
vacation, do try the Expo ’86, but 
I hope you have friends to stay 
with because rents, food, and 
drinks are high. 

We did a one-day overnight 
trip to Victoria and the Butchart 
Gardens, which were very impres¬ 
sive. I was supposed to have High 
Tea there, but as usual the one 
and only had to have another 
ferry boat ride, so we did not 
make it in time but did have a 
sensational dinner in Victoria 
and a great time. 

Thanks to Kenny K.Y. we got to 
see most of Vancouver’s gay life. 
A great campy and well-decor¬ 
ated and great food restaurant 
called Doll and Penny’s Cafe at 
1167 Davis serves fabulous ham¬ 
burgers. The Castle Pub at 750 
Granville Street is the home of 
Kenny K.Y. and they have a stamp 
for your passport. Neighbors at 
1337 Robson Street is the new 
home of Jim Brandt and his Mur¬ 
ray (thanks for the drinks Jim?) 
And a nice hello to Tillie at the 
very popular Streets at the Duf- 
ferin Hotel at 700 Seymour 
Street. And of course there are 
the Gandy Dancer, Numbers 
Club, and the Shaggy Horse, 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 87 












A Place of Our Own 

Women Are Coming to the Castro in Droves 
And Now There's Francine's to Cater to Us 

by Dianne Gregory 

E verybody’s talking about it. You hear people remarking upon it all the time. “You know, there are a 
lot more women in the Castro than there used to be,” they’ll say with varying degrees of approval or 
horror, depending on who you’re talking to. The woman haters, misogynists if you will—and who 
will deny that they are plentiful among us?—gnash their teeth and beat their breasts, while others may grin 



and bear it or even welcome us with open arms. 

So we come to the Castro. We come to shop, to buy, to spend; to eat, to drink, to meet; to stroll, to see, 
to be seen. We come to play pool and to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We come to meet lovers and 
to speak of those loved and lost. But to the Castro we come, and in droves. 

opening and again recently. The 
first time I went there were about 
You know, I love a good sleaze ten pe0 ple in the place, myself 
bar. I have been known to drive 


But where do we go when we 
get there? Most of the eating, 
drinking, and retail establish¬ 
ments are geared towards men 
We simply make a little corner of 
them our own. You see us scat¬ 
tered among the patrons of the 
Elephant Walk, or slouching 
around the pool table at the Bear. 
We dine at Hot’n’Hunky along 
with the hunks and not-so-hunk, 
or you may see us hunkering 
down over our oysters at the An¬ 
chor. We try on the shirts and 
pants that usually don’t quite fit 
us in the stores along the strip, 
and we rent videos and buy 
records just like the guys. 

And then came Francine’s. A 
guy named Frank or Ed or some¬ 
thing like that— a “straight” 
transvestite (straight transvest¬ 
ite?)—took over a saloon that has 
had many incarnations since it 
was the Eureka Valley Bar. He 
also owns two Tenderloin drag 
bars—the 222 Club and the 
Black Rose—and now he’s set his 
wife up as manager of Francine’s 
on 18th Street. Which is fine with 


table to chat and before I knew it 
we had a party of about eight at 
our table. There’s nothing like 
the dynamics of a good sleaze 
bar. 

“Give me your tired, your 


50 miles in search of just the 
right combination of cheap li¬ 
quor, stale cigarette-booze- 
disinfectant-excess body fluid 
aromas, and pool tables that have 
seen better days. I love it when 
your shoes sort of stick to the 
floor as you walk across a bar¬ 
room. I always feel right at home. 
Other bars—even women’s bars 
—in San Francisco certainly 
meet this description, but not in 
the Castro, not for women, not 
until Francine’s. 

I know Frank or Ed or what¬ 
ever his name is doesn’t intend 
Francine’s to be a sleaze bar. You 
can tell by all the mauve paint on 
the walls and the new awning over 
the door. But the telltale signs are 
there. The unmistakable aroma is 
there, and so is the pool table. All 
it needs is a few years of con¬ 
tinuous use and voila, you’ll have 
a sleaze bar. 

I have only been to Francine’s 
twice, once before its original 


and my companion, Frank/Ed, 
his wife, a few diehards from the 
Eureka Valley Bar days who pa¬ 
tronize the place no matter what 
it’s called or whom the clientele 
is, and a very sweet drunk from 
South Carolina who kept buying 
us drinks to prove to us that 
Southern Chivalry is not dead. It 
was an altogether pleasant in¬ 
terlude, and nobody wanted us to 
leave. 

When I visited the bar recent¬ 
ly the atmosphere was much 
more lively. At least 50 women 
and about a dozen men were 
gathered there, and the waiting 
list for the pool table filled the 
chalkboard. The jukebox was 
blaring, and there sat Frank/Ed 
at the bar overseeing it all. He 
was dressed in a tasteful black 
cocktail dress with red belt and 
heels, his hair in a French twist. 
One of my companions noted 
that he looked like the Wicked 
Witch of the West out for a drink. 
People we know stopped by at the 


poor, your dykes yearning to 
breathe stale cigarette smoke” 
should be Francine’s motto. I’m 
sure Frank/Ed will do a hell of a 
business with the Castro’s first 
“women’s” bar. • 


Bo/aAolSo [PEOPLE & [PERSONALS 



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SLAVE AUCTION 

Watering Hole Sat. July 19, 4-7pm 
Help feed the hungry. Donate 
your body as a slave for a night. 
Also gift certificates, meal tickets, 
leather goods & video tapes. 
Gay Rescue Mission 863-2079. 


Dial-A-Daddy 

The best of phone fantasy 

415 - 821-9952 
OH DADDY! 

Credit Cards—Must be 18 

(This is not a recording.) 


Helmut, Debra, and Staff of the 

HALF SHELL 

Thanks for a Great Dinner 
—Bob Logg 


Kevin Tam call 376-2601 


E26 


Male Strippers wanted for weekly 
show. Clean, attractive only need 
apply. Female Impersonators also 
wanted. Good, serious talent 
wanted. For information, call 
441-8413, ask for Michael. 

E26 

Good Head-No J/O 285-8390 

E27 

W/M Spanks Men 
If you are 18-40, work in Finan¬ 
cial Dist. and want your buns 
warmed at noon, write your 
desires to: 

Occupant, Suite 684, 

41 Sutter, S.F. 94104. No $$ 
E28 

Keith Allen call Robert in Oakland 
- 763-5322_ E26 

JACKS WANTS YOU 

Cum to our Post Parade JO Party! 
10 Rogers St., June 29, 4-8 PM, 
$6. Newsletter: 2336 Market 
Suite 127, SF 94114. E 26 

Body Shaving 

Crotch shaved for increased 
sensuality 861-8532 E26 

Stable Prof. GWM couple 
seeks same for friendship, 
dining in/out, dancing, 
cards/games. Interested 
in social corripat, nonsmkrs, 
masc., good humor, intended 
bad taste, stim. conversatn. 
Write: Resident, PO Box 13314 
Suite 172, Oakland 94661 

E26 

FACESITTERS SERVED! 
Gdlkg WM 35 seeks hot men 
18-40 to sit on my face. Also 
into water sports, verbal abuse, 
J/O and G/S. Bill S., Box 237. 

2215-R Market Street, San 
Francisco, S.F., CA 94114 E28 

"Old Fashioned Spanking" 
Fantasy/Reality - 864-2766 E 26 


Big C&B for tight, round, hairy 
butt, for gd'lk, well built, very 
hairy gym body over 5'8". 
776-7472 _ E26 

Intimate, safe, fun. 254-0159 
E26 



San Francisco's Largest 
Erotic Store 
A TASTE OF LEATHER 

336 6th St./777-4643 
San Francisco 94103 

Sun. 12-6/Catalog 13. 
Mon.-Sat. Noon-Six. 


MILTON & FRED 

I want to tell everyone about 
your up & coming wedding 
Saturday in Golden Gate Park. 
CONGRATULATIONS! 

M.J.S. 

18 look 16? I'm 46. 585-4335 

E51 

Civic Ctr. C/Sukr 474-5694 
E31 

PWA Seeks Sex with Same 
Tom 1800 Market St., Box 63 
E29 

Cold Weather Will Return 

10% OFF IN JULY WITH AD 
THE JACKET SHOP 

1795 Market St., S.F., CA 
One Garment Per Ad 

E27 


19th Century Tarot 
by Daniel 563-4363 


E26 


BOYS WANTED 

No Experience 
Necessary 
18-19 Years Only 
Joe, 282-2843 

_E26 

Male Nude Litho by Max Weber, 
signed, ed. 30. 1928. Very fine. 
$1150/B.Q. 644-8335. E26 

Heavy Duty Cock and Ball Work. 
You get what you need! Call Pete: 
771-2154. E26 

Hard Working, Self Supporting 
GWM. Basic Bottom looking 
for Top. Long term preferred. 
Let's meet, then decide. Ron 
346-7495. No fee. E 26 


PHONE SEX 

World’s largest, cheapest & best 
phone, personal contact, cassette 
& pen pal club. Many kinky list¬ 
ings. For info send SASE, Di¬ 
rectory 583 Grove, SF 94102. 
Cock worship recorded Gospel 
message 431-8748. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 88 

































































EOPLE & [PERSONALS 


* 

* 

* 

* 

* 


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PHOTO SESSIONS 
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TAPES 86-1 
86-2 86-3 86-4 
VHS/BETA 
I HOUR $59 EACH 
TWO VIDEOS $100 
(add $5 P&H insured 
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or checks. 4-6 weeks delivery. 

NEW 86 SAMPLE PRINTS & INFO 

★ $5 

TERRY PHOTO, P.O. BOX 31241 
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131 
(415) 285-3838 


A SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 


O 

FRATERNAL ORDER OF GAYS 


Socials • Dating 
'—" Games • Lectures 
Outings • Travel 
Language Lessons 


PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT 

Holy Spirit, You Who make me see every¬ 
thing and Who show me the way to reach 
my ideals. You Who give me the divine gift 
to forgive and forget from all that is done to 
me and you Who are in ail the instincts of 
my life with me. I, in this short dialogue want 
to thank you for everything and confirm 
once more that I never want to be separated 
from you, no matter how great material de¬ 
sires may be. I want to be with you and my 
loved ones in your perpetual glory. AMEN. 
Thank you for your love toward me and my 
loved ones. Pray this prayer three consecu¬ 
tive days without asking for you wish. After 
third day, your wish will be granted. Promise 
to publish dialogue as soon as your favor 
has been granted. p F M 


VOLUME ONE BOOKS 

Gay Men’s Studies Novels 
Fiction, Non-Fiction, Art. 

Etc. 400 + Titles. Send $1 
For Catalog (Credit to 1st Order) 
Sent In Plain Wrapper. 
Volume One Books 
P.O. BOX 5689, Napa, Cal. 94581 


Bodybuilders ★ Terry Photo 
Muscle Video & Prints now at 
“The Magazine” 731 Larkin St., 
SF-APump it up! E26 

Full time houseman wanted for 
small gay nightclub. Cleaning and 
upkeep a must! Person(s) needs 
to be mature, responsible and 
honest. Deadbeats need not ap¬ 
ply. For interview call 441-8413. 

E26 

Moraga couple, 40s, seeks East 
Bay couples for pinochle, movies, 
other non-sexual activities. Box 
116 Rheem Valley, CA 94570. 

E26 


PARADE 


Body Electric School, Quan Yin Acupunc¬ 
ture Center, and The K’Thar Sissies invite 
all Gay and Lesbian Holistic Healers & body- 
workers to march with us under the Banner 
of "GAY & LESBIAN HOLISTIC HEALERS". 
Call 653-1594 or 861-1101 for more info. 
Please join us. 


G/W/M 35, 5'10" Wnts 2 mt Big 
Blks 4 gd time. Justin, 863-7820 
. . . .24 hours. E26 

BOYS TOWN (NEW) 

$2 + toll. 415-976-0069 

E30 

COCK WORSHIP 

Fri/Sun 8 pm. Info. 621-1887 
E27 

6', 140#, 32, 9" u/c. Vers. Gdlk. 
Seeks similar, play. 864-8597 
E30 

FREE PERSONAL ADS 

$2 + Toll. (415) 976-0069 

E30 

Glory Hole Hotline 552-7339 
E27 

Daddy 30 

will train young trim boy in the 
art of bondage and discipline. 
Tom 468-6567 E30 | 


“Santa Fe: Self Explorations 
for Gay Men 

July 28-Aug. 3, Aug. 4-Aug. 10, 
and Aug. 18-24. 


Six day residential healing inten- 
sives for gay men; write 535 Cor¬ 
dova Rd., #419, Santa Fe, New 
Mexico 87501 or call 213-657-3329 

for more information. 


PHONE SEX 

The men who use our service 
get connected together for a hot, 
erotic gay experience with other 
HORNY GUYS 24 hours a day. 
Do it now for LESS THAN $5.00 
an hour. 

(415) EGO-TRIP (346-8747) 


/ 2 A personalized 

introduction service. 
You choose from the Bay Area 
most eligible gay/lesbian singles. 

(415) 424-1457 


DO YOU HAVE 
WHAT IT TAKES? 

to enter the Search for Rod 
Contests An Erotic Dance Strip 
Show, July 11 & 12, Savages. 
Send a full body photo, include 
phone no., age, to: 

Key Communications 
100 Valencia Street, Suite 229 
San Francisco, CA 94103 
For more info call 673-3383 
DEADLINE JULY 7 


TAKE A FERRY TO 

THE 

SAUSALITO 

INN 

AND TAKE A FERRY 
HOME 

DINNERS NIGHTLY 
LUNCHES DAILY 


( 415 ) 332-0577 


Photo by Reno 



TURN YOUR FANTASY INTO REALITY! 
SLOW & EASY DYNAMITE GOOD LOOKS. 
CLEFT CHIN 44"C, 32"W. 6\ 185lbs. 

Ron 775-7057 

SWEDISH/SHIATSU MASSAGE FOR MEN' 


★ J.D. ★ 

Hairy, strong hands, 31, caring 
massage for men. SF only. Min. 
90 minutes, 6-11 PM, anytime 
weekends. $35 in / $45 out. 
648-2108 E26 

Complete massage by handsome 
guy. Dwntwn SF 885-1558, 
Mark. 24 hrs. E28 

Fantastic Massage by an 
Old Pro $30, Roy. 621-1302 

E26 


Fullbody Massage by Nude 
bodybuilder 33 5'5" 41C 16A 
Older men welcome $40 out 
fine body Don 885-6254 
_____ E26 

OUT TO RELAX? 

Want someone professional and friend- 
ly. I give a full body massage in the 
nude. I am a Norwegian man, 28, 
Lt. Bodybuilder and swimmer. Hand- 
ome and clean cut. Certified. 

885-6309 $30 in 24 hrs 


HOT YOUNG JOCK 
NUDE EROTIC MASSAGE 


David for $19.86 

An Introduction to Massage 
$25 1 hr.-$35 1 V 2 hr. 

— CERTIFIED— 

( 415 ) 861-8382 



Chinese Athlete 751-8066 E28 

MASSAGE BY MARTIN 

45/in 431-6965 E26 

★ ★ ★ Philip ★ ★ ★ 

Good-natured model-masseur. 
Handsome, clean-cut and 
discreet. 864-5566 E26 

Exceptional Massage by 
One of the Best. 824-7022, Ed. 

E26 


Reduce Stress 
Increase Vibrancy 



JOE (415) 552-0645 

Certified Massage Therapist 

NON-SEXUAL • $30/90 MIN. • BY Appt Only 



NUDE HOT HANDSOME 

$25 474-8912 24 Hours 

__E30 

SPECIAL-Hot Oil Massage 
Satisfies-$25 621-8560 
_E26 

Hot Asian 239-HUSH 


OUT TO RELAX? 

Want someone professional and friend¬ 
ly. I give a full body massage in the 
nude I am a Norwegian man. 28, 
Lt. Bodybuilder and swimmer. Hand- 
ome and clean cut. Certified. 

885-6309 $30 in 24 hrs 


Honest Massage 
by Young, Gdlk. Pro 
30in. Rich 563-4363 


E26 


PHONE SEX 

The men who use our service 
get connected together for a hot, 
erotic gay experience with other 
HORNY GUYS 24 hours a day. 
Do it now for LESS THAN $5.00 
an hour. 

(415) EGO-TRIP (346-8747) 



SWEDISH/SHIATSU MASSEUR 
SPECIALIZING IN THERAPY 
FOR ATHLETES. CERTIFIED 
AVAILABLE NOW' 

CALL RICH 641-5045 


Massage made in Heaven! 
Deep, warm, & sensual . . . 
David, 668-5284. 24 hrs. E26 

Massage • Body Cleansing 
Todd • 753-5131 E27 

Complete 

Safe Sensual Massage 

Mike, Handsome Masculine 
Beautifully Built 

6', 172 lbs., 36. 863-6947 
One Hr. $50 In/ $65 Out 

E26 

In the Castro, the famous 
75-minute 7-chakra Swedish/ 
Esalen “Bliss Massage." 

Nonsexual, Certified, 

Only $30. Jim 864-2430. 

E26 

Expert Nonsexual Massage 

Neil Lasky 648-7759 
$35/2 hrs • $20/1 hr. 

Acupressure Sessions $20 

E28 

KteD 0 C 3 S© 0 DD@ 

Masseur, straight appearance. Professional, 
clean-cut young man, 30, athletic. 

1 will massage you in the nude on my 
massage table for 1 hr. J35/ln, $45/Out. 

KMte Z 7 Z 7 CK 3 Z 7 B 0 

Blonde Norwegian 
Handsome Yng. Jock 

DON, 28, 6ft., 185lbs, 44” chest, 

32” waist. Full-body Swedish rub 
by a blonde It. bodybuilder. 
Professional & Experienced. 

NOB HILL. $35/ln. 25 HRS. 

441-1350 

FIRST TIMERS WELCOME! 
MASSAGE. 

Relax or energize w / student of 
massage. Non-sexual. By appt. 
only. John, (415) 552-0645, 
$20/90 min. E27 

Relaxing, Sensual, Satisfying, 
man-to-man massage by sexy 
blonde Eric. 826-4594 $40/$ 50 
E26 

Athletic Massage in Jock 
Non-sex. 285-6542 Kevin 

E26 

Healthy Massage-Sensuous, 
erotic 90 min. $40 out. Bruce, 
753-6104 Certified. E26 

Exceptional Massage 

Great F/Masseurs Athletes 
East Bay. Greg, 547-1364 E 26 

Caring mature black masseur, 
hung, uncut Mr. G. Sensuous. 
$30 hr. 621-3319. 6 ft, 177, 40 
E26 


COMPLETE MASSAGE 

Into a Good Time. Steve, 
In/Out 558-8585 

E26 

Tantric Massage. Blond Swimmer 
$50 Rick 431-4859 Hot! 

E26 

Sensual, Complete Massage 
by a hot man. 864-5566 Phillip 

E26 

Firm & Thorough, Nonsexual 
SHIATSU - $35 

Certified - Paul, 626-4518 

E26 

Intimate, loving massage. 
Peter arid Jim. 864-5483 

E26 

RON 

Turn a good day into 
a better day! 

Strong hands, good massage. 
Hung well. Cal!for my 
special rates for A sian 
and Latin Men 

Ron 775-7057 

ATHLETIC MASSAGE 

Sensual Swedish professional 
quality athletes massage. 

Satisfaction guaranteed. 

75 min. massage 45ln/$650ut 

2 h>r. massage $65ln/$80Out 

S/M fun' $25 Zolt 474-5576 
E26 

S.Mateo-570-5216 (DAVE'S “TLC”) 
E26 

Black Masseur Therapist 
Shiatsu + Swedish • Certified 
$40 in/50 out # Rocky, 431-8869 
E31 

Massage Tables, New/Used, 
Bought/Sold. Bulk Coconut Oil 

Joseph Kramer, 653-1594 

E27 

Fullbody Nude Massage by 
Except. Handsome Young Guy 
Clean, Friendly & Discreet 
Cool Hand Luke 665-1359 

E27 

Sensuous Full Body Nude 
Massage by 22, 6', 170 lb. 
Jim Digital Pager 978-6145 
E27 

Manboy 

Smooth 
★ Uncut ★ 

Nude 

Erotic 

Massage 

Joe 346-2921 

E26 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 89 








































































































































EOPLE & [PERSONALS 



★ DONKEY★ 

★ ★DICK^ ★ 

No. B.S.! Huge, long thick 
tool with big, shaved low 
hangers swinging heavy 
from healthy, hunky body. 
31,* hot and extremely 
handsome, big nipples . . . 
When you want the best. 

★ ★ MATT ★ ★ 

★ (415) 567-5445 ★ 


CUTE 19 Y.O. KID 

DK. BLO., SMOOTH & SLIM 
HOT, PLAYFUL, TIGHT 
BUNS, BIG BASKET. $60. 

TODD 931-8257 


ORIENTAL PORN STAR 

Kevin Yong 

HANDSOME. YOUNG 

PRIME © TIME 

MODELS/ESCORTS 

(415) 621-6838 


6'4", 195#, hairy X-Army sgt. 
Chuck 431-1579 E27 


ACT OUT YOUR FANTASY 

with Hercules 

CASH/M O 'MC/VISA 

* Beeper No. 576-6211 

wait 3 beeps, touch tone yr. tel. 
no./ext. no. Hangup. I'll Call U! 


BIG BUTT tall hairy blue-eyed 
Daddy. Chad 861-7014 E 27 

★ ★ $25 - Hot Athlete ★ ★ 

★ Bill,441-1054. Massage, etc. ★ 

_____E32 

HUNG LIKE HORSE 

Eric 408-336-5077 

E32 


MALE STRIPPERS 

PRIVATE OR BUSINESS 

RICHARD OF S.F. 821-3457 


A MAN’S MAN! 

JAKE: 6 2". 1 80lbs.. 42"C. 
Solid as a rock—Hot video 
movies at home. In calls. 
Reserve Now! $75.00 

RICHARD OF S.F. 821-3457 


HOT ITALIAN 

25 years old, 57". 140 lbs. 
38" chest, black hair, bikini tan 
line, versatile, very attractive 
and double jointed. 

OUT ONLY/$75.00 

Ron 864-3873 


GENTLE TOP IN OAKLAND, 5'5", 142, 
HAIRY. PHALLIC LOVERS-FR A/P, GR 1 
A, J/O, EXHIB. $60/IN. CONGENIAL. 
MARC 444-3204 


ALL AMERICAN MALE 

MITCH: 21.511'. 16016s. 
Clean cut — Well groomed. 
College Jock — $75.00 

RICHARD OF S.F. 821-3457 


20 YR., HOT 
PLAYFUL 

DOMINANT VERBAL TOP 
DK. Bl.. SMOOTH. WEI L HUNG. 
Low Hangers. Cash/Credit Cards 

Bruce 931-8257 $60 


• MANBOY• 

HNDSM, CLN SHVN, SMOOTH, 
YNG, WELL HUNG, FIRM BUNS 
• SEXY — SATISFYING • 
DON’T WAIT! 

YOU WANT IT—I GOT IT! 
PAUL • 821-2318 



282-3433 


GQ Looks — Surfer Type 
Asians — Italians 


ALL AGES & TYPES 
SERVING THE BAY AREA 


282-3433 


S&M 

fPhone Sexi 
346-8747i 


Leatherman loves to beat 
Butt - Jack - 415-680-8959 
E26 


HUGABLE HUNK 

Masculine caring 40 yr. man 
Handsome, Versatile, Muscular, 
Healthy, hung, Vic, 821-9988 

E28 



San Jose ★ San Francisco 
Penninsula ★ East Bay 

Bodybuilders • Swimmers • 

• Blacks • Latins • Asians • 

• St. Bi. Gay men 18-37 y.o. 

(4081 977-0310 
(415)563-7588 

\/Ve honor credit cards! 
American Express, Visa, 
Mastercard. Diners Club. Discover 


FIRST & FOREMOST 
SINCE 1968 WITH 
SAN FRANCISCO S FINEST 

MALE MODELS 
& COMPANIONS 

STANDARD RATES 
HOUR DAY. OR WEEK 
Models Available Around Town 
or Around the Bay 
• Please Book Early • 
Travelers Checks and 
In City Personal Checks 
with proper ID are OK 
Our Models & Companions 
are Screened for your 
Health. Security and 
Peace of Mind, so 
STAY HEALTHY WITH 

RICHARD OF S.F. 
(415) 821-3457 

Applicants Needed 
Must Be Exceptional 


Sacramento — Stockton 
Eric: Warm & Friendly 
Richard of S.F. 821 3457 


ALL AMERICAN BOY 

Handsome Young Blond/Blu/ 
Hung Super Big/Vers. Older 
Men Welcome. Out/24 Hrs. 

Scott-864-4010 (or) 
Beeper #227-6265 —Enter #. 

E26 


ROCK HARD STUD 

28 yr. old Blond Bodybuilder 
6'1", 180, Extra Thick Tool 
Healthy, Safe & Sane. Satisfy your 
wildest fantasy. Eves & Wkends. 
Frank, 861-3679. Leave number 
for call back. E26 

Hot Blond Hunk 
26 yrs. / 5^9" / 160 lbs. 
Muscular, tan, 7", cut. 

Call Scout / 474-9377 

_E26 

HOT JOCK 

Full Equip GM RM 
Light to Heavy 
FF WS SM Leather 
Bondage! 

Steve 584-3983 E26 

TALL DARK HANDSOME 

Italian, Hung Big. Will give 
massage in all the right places. 
Call 775-7184 Tony. E26 


“HOT & DIRTY” 
( 408 ) 

976-DIRT 


★ COLLEGE JOCK* 
★ 23 YRS. ★ 

Incredibly handsome competitive SFSU Athlete, 
blond hair, blue eyes, 5’8”, ISO lbs., beefy 
shoulders, 42” chest, 27” waist, “steel-cut” 
wshbrd. abs., 15” arms, powerful thighs, 
big thick 8”er, big nuts too. Strong hands— 
Top stud. $ 120/Out. Scott 843-2734. 
Guaranteed! (Digital pager, 857-7707, leave 
number). 


• College Jock# 

Luke: Warm, sincere, 
friendly, engaging smile 
$75 — 24 Hours Weekends 

Richard of S.F. 821-3457 


TOM OF FINLAND 
FANTASY MAN 

Rough & ready GQ face. 6’, 200#, 
BB, hung big & thick. 27 years, 
topman. Boot licker & butt 
kisser wanted. 

Jason 863-6116 Very Safe 


VERY SPECIAL ALL DAY or 
ALL EVENING RATES 
RICHARD OF S.F. 821-3457 


KELLY 

6’2”, 170lbs, light brown/ 
blue eyes. 39C, 31W, 
Versatile & Safe 

(415)563-3487 



DUKE 

College-Jock $80 

(415) 825-2433 


$2 plus toll if an 


ROGER OF S.F. 

Short, intelligent bodybuilder expert 
in sensual physical S&M, C&B work. 
Dominant but level-headed and 
diserdbt Learn the ropes! Get an 
education in a safe place. 

(415) 864-5566 


REAL HOT MAN 

5'11", 170#, Blk hair, blue eyes. 
Gdlkg., BB, massage. Call Jim 
431-1609. E27 

!! You CAN Top This !! 
HANDSOME BOTTOM MAN 
6'4", Br/Br, 35, 210 lbs. 
Jack. 60in/80out. 863-3276 
E26 

BEST FRENCH! 

& other delites by hunky 
hry Ital model in Castro 
VITO 863-5539. Days best! 

E26 


San Francisco’s 
Hottest Top 

6ft . 1851 bs.. no-nonsense leather 
man. 34 y.o.. hot rugged good- 
looking. Blond Master Expert into 
W S. S/M. F/F..' verbal abuse, 
bondage. T/T. Well equiped game/ 
room Sling, rack, mirror & toys : 
Novices Welcome. Safe J 
controlled space 

MAX 673-4221 


For Your Pleasure 

Handsome, Young, Versatile, 
Meaty 8”, 42C, 30W 
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Sports & fitnesS 


For Pride's Sake 

Gay Games II Triathlon Co-Chairs 
Run, Swim, and Bike for Pride 

by Paul Trefzger 

T he triathlon is a sport that almost wasn’t going to be a 
part of Gay Games II. It was the devotion and hard work 
of the co-chairs Roxanne Fiscella and Doug 
Vanden Bos that have made it a reality. It has meant personal 
sacrifice (as with most volunteers), such as not competing 
themselves, but there is a resultant satisfaction in the know¬ 
ledge that the event will be available for others. I asked them 
to talk about the triathlon. 



ROXANNE FISCELLA 

“It’s a sport that has three 
aspects,” Fiscella said, “swim¬ 
ming, bicycling, and a run—con¬ 
secutively. It’s a timed event, so 
you could call it a race.” I asked 
how she became interested in the 
concept. 

“I started with running. I hurt 
myself, so I started swimming. 
Incidentally, I did no sports un¬ 
til two years ago. I never con¬ 
sidered myself athletic. Well, I 
swam with a friend at Garfield 
and got hooked on exercise. 
When I saw the first triathlon ad¬ 
vertised—the first I’d seen—I 
thought it’d be thrilling. 


Fiscella continued. “I was always 
chubby. With the swimming I 
began to exercise and eat right 
and it turned my life around. My 
first triathlon, which was at City 
College, was a Tri-For-Fun, a 
short triathlon to see how you 
could do. As it turned out, I had 
better times than my individual 
events, so I became more inter¬ 
ested. 

“It’s a wonderful way to 
develope your whole body. Bike 
strengthens legs, swim, upper 
body, and running for endurance 
and excellent all-around condi¬ 
tioning. They supplement each 
other. It’s a relatively injury-free 
sport because you rotate the in¬ 
dividual sports while training. If 
your shoulder is sore from swim¬ 


ming, you could run and bike for 
three days.” I asked about her 
own schedule. 

“Six days a week,” she said. “I 
love it. It’s a stress reducer for 
me, relaxing and an emotional re¬ 
lease. It’s a way to meet healthy 
people. It improved my diet. I had 
no plan to change it, but because 
of training, I had to. I decreased 
my meat intake because I found 
that eating meat at night made 
me sluggish in the morning. I de¬ 
creased dairy products and sugar 
and increased pasta, carbohy¬ 
drates, and fruit. I don’t care for 
vegetables that much. 

“I practice each sport indivi¬ 
dually. I swim three days a week, 
with teams. I used to swim a mile. 
A coach pushes. He has me doing 
isolated workouts.” She added, 
“That’s at Mill’s College. I bicy¬ 
cle twice a week, about 25 miles 
each time, around San Francisco, 
Golden Gate Park, Lake Merritt, 
and sometimes to Marin. In that, 
I’m not really competitive. I’d 
like to improve my time, but I do 
it to relax. 

“I run once or twice a week, 
three to seven miles. I try to do 
one or two lOK’s a month. Now 
that’s my training schedule. 
Everybody can individualize 
their own. That’s why I like the 
sport.” 

When I asked Fiscella about 
the number of entrants in the 
Triathlon for the Games, she told 
me, “We expect 150. It’s actual¬ 
ly quite a big sport. The course 
should be spectacular. It’ll be at 
Lake Anza at Tilden Park in 
Berkeley. The run will be along 
a grassy ridge—six scenic miles, 
lush foot trails—then there’s 20 
miles of bicycling through the 
park. The goal is participation 
and getting as many people as 
possible. We want to attract peo¬ 
ple by not making it a difficult 
sport.” Then she added, “Of 
course the bicycling will be hilly.” ’ 

Roxanne spent her youth in 
Middletown, NY on the Hudson 
River. Currently 34, she left there 
at 17 and has lived in Boston, 
Chicago, and Maine for either 
school or employment. She came 
to the Bay Area in 1980 because 
she liked it here. She had various 


jobs before her private practice in 
1981.1 told her she sounded con¬ 
tent. 

“I am,” she said. “I have my 
work, play, relationships, 
friends.” Of her part in GGII, she 
added, “I heard that the triath¬ 
lon might not happen because 
they couldn’t get it off the 
ground, couldn’t find co-chairs, 
and I really wanted to see it hap¬ 
pen.” She and Doug Vanden Bos 
came on the Games scene in ear¬ 
ly March. “Late,” she said. “It’s 
at a manageable stage but it’s 
difficult. We’re always looking for 
volunteers, especially people with 
organizational skills. Enthusiasm 
is nice and of course, love of the 
sport—the event or the indivi¬ 
dual sports. 

“I probably won’t enter the 
triathlon. I’ll be race director. 
You have to have a person who 
knows every aspect of the race 
course to problem-solve the day 
of the event. I am entering the 
100 mile bike ride (the ‘century’) 
and the 10K run.” And even if 
she’s not in the triathlon, “It’ll 
be a thrill watching it be pulled 
off after planning it,” she said. 


DOUG VANDEN BOS 

Vanden Bos told me enthusias¬ 
tically, “I got involved about a 
year and a half ago. I’d done the 
individual sports; a marathon 
that was a 26-mile run, open 
ocean swimming in Hawaii. I liv¬ 
ed there three years. It’s ideal if 
you’re into sports. I got into bi¬ 
cycling and swimming there.” I 
asked Doug why he went there in 
the first place. 

He shrugged and said, “It was 
somewhere I wanted to go. Travel 
is one of my interests, so I moved 
around a bit.” It was there he 
became aware of the Iron Man 
Triathlon but, “It wasn’t until fall 
of ’84 while living in LA that I at¬ 
tended the National Triathlon 
Training Camp (NTTC). That’s 
when I started to bring the in¬ 
dividual sports together and to 
get the background to train for 
multi-sport competition. It’s 
three days with some of the top 
triathletes, i.e. Dave Scott, Liz 
Applegate, George Yates. I came 


to San Francisco in November of 
last year and saw the Gay Games 
sign. I’d heard about the first 
Games while I was in Honolulu 
and got real excited. My degree, 
my background, is in phys. ed. It 
was thrilling to talk to people 
afterward who’d participated.” I 
asked about his current involve¬ 
ment with the Games. 

“I started as a volunteer. The 
person who was in charge of the 
triathlon became too busy. It ap¬ 
peared as if there wouldn’t be an 
event. I was reluctant to step in 
since I hadn’t been here long 
enough to know the area, but I 
knew that I wanted there to be a 
triathlon. I took over the begin¬ 
ning of February and basically 
nothing had been done. Several 
weeks ago we got the go ahead 
from the East Bay Regional Park 
Area to use Lake Anza and the 
other park areas, including In¬ 
spirational Point for the run. This 
was after two months of research, 
procedures, etc. The swim por¬ 
tion is a complete half mile, then 
20-mile bike and six-mile run. 
Right now, our priority is re¬ 
cruiting a qualified committee of 
ambitious, take-charge indivi¬ 
duals to assist us, particularly 
people familiar with triathlon 
and the transition—or who are 
willing to learn. A woman phon¬ 
ed us who can’t run on pavement, 
so she can’t enter and she wants 
to help. I’ve decided that I’m go¬ 
ing to be doing the race, and 
since Roxanne isn’t—she’ll be 
race director—I want to thank 
her. I’m very appreciative. We 
had both decided not to enter. 
Then she decided to enter two 
other events.” 

Vanden Bos was born Dec. 14, 
’55 in Valier, Montana. He has al¬ 
ways been active, and involved in 
group sports since junior high 
school. In high school he played 
football and wrestled. 

“I’d kept up running and 
when I entered Eastern Montana 
College in Billings, I did that.” 

Doug now lives by the Panhan¬ 
dle of Golden Gate Park in a five- 
room flat. He’s been a self-em¬ 
ployed caterer for three years. He 
does volunteer work for the Shan- 
ti project at least one night a week 
and does fitness consulting, not 
in a gym, which utilizes natural 
outdoor equipment, a variety of 
alternative exercises in a program 
designed to promote “lifetime 
fitness,” including diet, nutri¬ 
tion, exercise, and stress manage¬ 
ment. I asked him the source of 
his clientele. “Word of mouth,” 
he said, and reminded me that he 
holds a teaching degree in health 
and fitness. 

“It was great,” Vanden Bos 
continued, “when I first arrived 
here and had a lot of time and 
was able to just jump into the 
Games office. It was a good way 
to get introduced to the commu¬ 
nity. I’ve heard it said that it’s 
unusual to come up north, consi¬ 
dering my interest in sports. I 
had started working on my Mas¬ 
ters in Exercise Physiology and a 
bike accident put me out of com¬ 
mission for a summer, but now 
not only am I looking forward to 
the Gay Games Triathlon, but 
also to just competing in various 
events throughout the summer.” 

Roxanne summed it up. “I 
think that the Games is a wonder¬ 
ful event for gays to participate 
in, to show strength and support, 
to work together to show athletic 
prowess, and just to eminate gay 
pride.” • 


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BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 92 




















Following the successful con¬ 
clusion of the first Gay Games in 
1982, many cities fresh from the 
experience of the Games return¬ 
ed to their localities with hopes 
of bringing Gay Games II to their 
town. But the final decision by 
the Gay Games Board of Direc¬ 
tors was to keep the Games in San 
Francisco for one more session in 
order to provide a firm founda¬ 
tion and tradition that will 
become the basis for future 
Games. Upon the successful con¬ 
clusion of Gay Games II in 
August, the program and ideals 
should be firmly established, 
along with the logistics and 
special requirements necessary 
to put on the games, which help 
other cities that hope to host 
future Gay Games. 

Vancouver has an inside track 
as a potential Gay Games host. 
The Canadian city has hosted its 
own gay athletic games each 
summer since the conclusion of 
the first Gay Games in 1982. The 
Vancouver gay business, athletic, 
and artistic community has form¬ 
ed the Metropolitan Vancouver 
Athletic and Arts Association 
(MVAAA) which put together 
what they hope is a winning bid 
for Gay Games III. 

The MVAAA has been actively 
seeking the support of the entire 
Vancouver gay community, by 
soliciting volunteered time, tax- 
deductible donations, or letters 
of support, to show the Gay 
Games III Site Selection Com¬ 
mittee that Vancouver is ready, 
willing, and quite anxious to be 
the first city outside of San Fran¬ 
cisco to host a Gay Games. A 
spokesman for the MVAAA said, 
“The pride of hosting a world 
Gay Games in our community is 
worth the effort we’re spending 
to try and bring it here. The ex¬ 
citement of the coming Gay 
Games II is certainly helping to 


TICKETS NOW ON SALE 


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Attention Park Bowl 
Sponsors 

Park Bowl Management has 
given its assurance that within 
the next couple of weeks the 
superfluous game projection 
screens located above each lane 
will be removed. After this has 
been done, dozens of 4x4 foot 
spaces will be made available for 
free Park Bowl team sponsor 
poster/placard advertising. 
Several persons have already in¬ 
quired about when and to whom 
the 4x4' p/ps should be turned in 
to. The p/ps should be sent ASAP 
to either Mai Garcia, Jerry 
DeYoung, Donn Strain, or given 
to the person behind the desk at 
Park Bowl, accompanied by the 
request to pass it on to one of the 
previously cited individuals. Two 
factors that should have some 
bearing upon when to turn in the 
p/ps is that the first ones received 
will be given priority in the event 
of a space scarcity, and that the 
advertising spaces are not limited 
to Tavern Guild sponsors. 

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composed of material that can be 
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backing, and in good taste, of 
course. They will be temporarily 
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Bowl until the space upon which 
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available. 

Also, with August just weeks 
away, some or all of the free 
advertising space indicated 
above will be utilized, for an as- 
yet unspecified time span, to 
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bowling event, the space will be 
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visable for those of you who wish 
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ices a plug before August to turn 
in your p/ps moh scratch. • 


Track Festival 

The San Francisco Track & 
Field Club will host the third 
annual San Francisco Track 
Festival this Saturday, June 28, 
at 10 a.m. at the McAteer High 
School track, located at the cor¬ 
ner of Portola and O’Shaugh- 
nessy. 

Meet Director Bernard Turner 
promises the Track Festival will 
be a showcase of the Gay 
Games II track team represent¬ 
ing San Francisco, as well as in¬ 
cluding competitors from 
throughout the Bay Area. The 
meet is scheduled to begin at 
10 a.m. with the running of the 
5,000 meters, followed by a full 
schedule of sprints, hurdle races, 
relays, and field events. Anyone 
interested in participating in the 
meet that has not yet registered 
may call 558-8282, or register the 
day of the meet at the track prior 
to the start of competition. Entry 
fee is $6, and all events will be 
contested in age groups, with 
medals awarded to the first three 
finishers. 

An admission donation of $2 is 
requested for spectators. Re¬ 
freshments will be available and 
the Hayward Raw-Rahs will per¬ 
form. Dr. Tom Waddell, Gay 
Games founder, will be the meet 
announcer, with sound by M&M 
Sound. • 

R. Thoman 


GGII Tickets 

Tickets are now on sale for the 
opening (Aug. 9) and closing 
(Aug. 17) ceremonies for Gay 
Games II. Prices are $20 for one 
of the ceremonies and $30 for 
both. 

You can call the ticket hotline 
at 861-5686 or get your tickets at 
any Bass ticket center. Outside 
California call 1-800-225-2277. • 


Joe lolbe posed to music from Mishima at the Gay Games 
II Physique Team benefit at the Village (Photo: Rink) 


capture the community’s interest 
in hosting Gay Games III.” 

Of course, the Games won’t ne¬ 
cessarily be leaving San Fran¬ 
cisco. Waddell emphasizes that 
the Site Selection committee 
must be satisfied on a number of 
points before letting it go beyond 
the city’s borders. 

“We’ll be looking not only to 
see how each city is organiza¬ 
tionally set up, but also if they 
have a non-profit status, what the 
role of women and minorities will 
have in their organization, and a 
number of other things,” Wad¬ 
dell said. “Most importantly, we 


must determine that any poten¬ 
tial host will continue to carry on 
the philosophy of the Games, that 
it is open to all races, ages, and 
sexes, that it stresses participa¬ 
tion over competition, that it 
reflects both the artistic as well as 
the athletic side of our commu¬ 
nity.’ ’ 

Waddell was adamant that the 
Games would not be released to 
a city that would allow it to 
become “just another athletic 
competition.” 

“That’s something we want to 
avoid. That’s not what the Games 
are all about,” said Waddell. • 


Gay Games III 


Will it Be in Vancouver? 
LA? Sydney? SF? 


by Rick Thoman 


Come to the Gay Games III in Vancouver in 1990! Or will 
it be Los Angeles? Or maybe Sydney, Australia? Although the 
start of the second Gay Games is still more than a month away, 
competition is underway to host the next Gay Games four 
years from now. And 1990 may be the year the Gay Games 
leaves San Francisco. 

Vancouver is the only city that has submitted a bid to host 
the 1990 Games, but interest has also been expressed by Los 
Angeles and Sydney. According to Tom Waddell, chairman of 
the Gay Games III site selection committee, more cities may 
be interested in hosting the next Gay Games, but haven’t yet 
made contact with the Gay Games organizers. 

“It’s not a high priority for us or many of the cities that will 
be participating in the Games here in August,” said Waddell. 
“There is no set date when we will be announcing where the 
next Games will be staged. We encourage the interest of all 
cities and we will be looking at each bid carefully.” 


Phillip Tsui flexed for the crowd ata recent benefit for the Gay 
Games II Physique Team at the Village (Photo: Rink) 


OPENING CEREMONIES • AUGUST 9 

M.C. RITA MAE BROWN 

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PROCESSION OF THE ARTS Tickets and further information at STBS Boi Office. UNION SQUARE 
BROCHURE and additional information at GAY GAMES OFFICE. 526 Castro. San Francisco 94114 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 93 











The Bear Should Play the Gangway Reflections on the C.S.L. 


by Tom Vindeed 

Who cares if their combined 
records are 0-26? Can you im¬ 
agine the type of game it would 
be? 42-41! 

If both managers agree, I’ll try 
to play it Sunday, July 6, at Lang 
Field as a fundraiser for Gay 
Games II. What do you say, 
teams? By the way, this is Lew 
Gilmour’s idea. 


e'rs are spectacular, as are said 
cheerleaders. 

Bob Docca’s Casto Travel is 
making a move towards .500— 
they made the Gangway walk the 
plank 21-1. Ginger’s nipped 
Amelia’s Aviators 10-8, and the 
short-handed Pendulum defeated 
the Phone Booth 7-1. 


and it will be played at Christo¬ 
pher Field on Diamond Heights 
Blvd. Saturday, June 28, at 
10 a.m. More than 25 players 
have signed up already, so make 
your reservation A.S.A.P. 

My comments about suspend¬ 
ing the bylaws will apppear in the 
July 10 issue. No games are 
scheduled for the next two 
weekends. 



Join these folks at GayRun '86 July 13 


(Photo: B. O'Toole) 


Softball Sunday saw the Bad¬ 
lands dash the Rawhide’s hopes 
of capturing 6th place in the 
playoffs when Dan Carlson’s crew 
won 6-5. The Rawhide came 
back in their second game and 
downed the Eagles 7-2. 

Trax rebounded from last 
week’s game and humbled the 
Bear 17-2, while the Kokpit, 
playing errorless ball, skipped 
past the Cafe San Marcos 8-2. 
The Cafe must now await the out¬ 
come of the Trax vs. Badlands 
game to see if they get the 6th 
playoff spot. Take a bribe, Dan. 

Pilsner Inn edged Capt. Video 
4-2 before falling to the fabulous 
Hunks Golden Girls 9-6. The 


STANDINGS 


Golden Gate Division 


Village 

12-1 

Hunks 

9-4 

Cafe San Marcos 

9-4 

Rawhide II 

8-5 

Pilsner Inn 

7-6 

Phone Booth 

3-9 

Amelia’s 

2-11 

The Bear 

0-13 


Barbary Coast Division 


Pendulum 

13-0 

Kokpit 

12-1 

Badlands 

9-4 

Trax 

8-5 

Casto Travel 

6-7 

Eagle 

5-7 

Ginger’s 

5-8 

Capt. Video 

2-10 

Gangway 

0-13 


'My comments 
about suspending 
the bylaws will ap¬ 
pear in the July 10 
issue. No games are 
scheduled for the 
next two weekends/ 


If you are interested in playing 
in the first Jambalaya Free For 
All you must contact Becky at 

TVip nlavpr’c foo ic ftlft 


by Rodger Soto 

In the late ’60s a group pf gay 
men met on Sundays to play vol¬ 
leyball at Golden Gate Park 
which was thought of as an activi¬ 
ty to get gays out of the bars and 
into the sunshine. Then it dawned 
on Jack “Irene” McGowan and 
Peter “Puffer” Switzer to start a 
softball league tournament. 

In 1971 the beginning dream 
Was realized with a weekend tour¬ 
nament. Six teams participated 
and it was a tremendous success. 
The following year an indepen¬ 
dent league was formed and call¬ 
ed the Gay Community Softball 
League. This was a feisty year 
with lots of egos clashing with 
many different concepts of what 
the league should be. From the 
beginning Metz of Sutter’s Mill 
and a few other straight and 
bisexual friends were allowed to 
play, and it was then that the 
league changed its name to the 
Community Softball League of 
San Francisco. 

In 1972 the league was regis¬ 
tered and officers were elected 
and committees were formed. Pe¬ 
ter Puffer was the commissioner, 
Les Balmain and Duke Joyce 
wrote the constitution, and Rich 
Carl and others wrote the by-laws. 
Rich, Woody, Cha-Cha, and Puf¬ 
fer were the umpires. Chuck 
Demming and David Van were 
the official scorekeepers, and I 
was the unofficial statistician. 
Doris and Bobby Pace were the 
first C.S.L. Sweethearts. I’m sure 
I’m leaving some important in¬ 
dividuals out because it was a 
real joint effort on lots of people’s 
part. As the league grew, with ban¬ 
quets and fundraiser games 
against the .police, the competi¬ 
tion also grew with many more 
straights and bisexuals added 
from the city league. 

This worked very well for sev¬ 
eral years unitl 1977 when a 
group was added that was not in 
tune with the gay community. 
That year the first Gay World Se¬ 
ries was started by the late 
Everett Hedrick and Duke Joyce. 
In 1978 thousands of dollars were 
raised to send our champs to the 
second Gay World Series in New 





* 538 * 












4 IS 

976-7744 


$2 plus toll If any Includes FREE ad. 


York. The cities, six in all, voted 
to only allow us to play if we could 
field an 80 percent gay team, 20 
percent straight or bi. Our cham¬ 
pions, Oil Can Harry’s, chose not 
to play at all and all hell broke 
loose within the league and in the 
national press the gay communi¬ 
ties were accused of reverse 
discrimination. 

The next year a large seg¬ 
ment of the league formed a 
new league, the Gay Softball 
League, with strong leadership 
from Tuffy Adams, Tony 
Neimger, Tom Vindeed, Bob 
Docca, and Ricky Bratton. The 
C.S.L. was also lucky to have 
Duke Joyce, Bill Chapman, 
George Zepp, Jr., and now Jim 
Redpath. The new leagues now 
are both so well established and 
should be proud that they have 29 
organized teams that stand 
behind the gay community. 

As I sat down to write this ar¬ 
ticle I reflected on what a diver¬ 
sified group of people are involv¬ 
ed in the C.S.L.—women, child¬ 
ren, and men of all sexual 
persuasions, people of color, etc. 
I am very proud to live in a city 
where as a whole community we 
can stand together as one group 
and have friends of the gay com¬ 
munity like Alan Cranston, John 
Molinari, Sharon McNight, and 
Rita Rockett. With morons like 
LaRouche running around we 
need to stand together. Together 
we can defeat the AIDS crisis as 
well as our enemies. Have a hap¬ 
py and safe Gay Pride Week and 
Fourth of July. 

C.S.L. SCOREBOARD 

George Zepp Jr. Division 


Other Cafe 10 0 

Cinch 6 4 

Molinari’s 5 5 

Overflo/Slo Rush 5 6 

S.B. Coots 1 9 

Neigh-Hoods 1 10 

Jack McGowan Division 
Bunkhouse 8 3 

Everett’s 8 3 

Beake Bros. 8 3 

Rockin’ Robins 6 5 

Aspen 4 6 

Maulers 1 9 

• 


Advisory 

Committee 

The Women’s Building is 
seeking new members for its ex¬ 
panded Women’s Crafts Fair Ad¬ 
visory Committee. 

Committee members assist 
The Women’s Building plan, 
produce, and evaluate its annual 
Crafts Fair. They meet with 
Women’s Building staff approx¬ 
imately 10 times per year to help 
establish guidelines for the Fair, 
such as its annual theme, the 
criteria for acceptance into the 
Fair, the focus of the event’s 
publicity and outreach cam¬ 
paigns, and its entertainment 
programming. Committee mem¬ 
bers also are involved with long- 
range planning decisions affec¬ 
ting the scope and scale of this 
two-weekend event. 

The Fair is the largest, most 
attended and lucrative event 
sponsored by the Women’s 
Building. It combines craft and 
fine art exhibitions by women, 
entertainment, presentations by 
social service and political 
organizations, and demonstra¬ 
tions of traditional craft tech¬ 
niques with community outreach 
efforts. It has been organized 
since 1979 to highlight the work 
of more than 100 craftswomjsn. 

For more information, please 
call Holly Fincke at 431-1180.* 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 94 




















Pilsner Places 

The other evening the Unknown 
Mystery Masked Super Skater, 
who was till this writing an un¬ 
official undercover cub bowling 
news reporter, witnessed an 
unusually high number of bowl¬ 
ers entering Leticia’s restaurant 
located on Market near Sanchez. 
Upon further investigation, it was 
learned that the First Place 
Pilsner I team of the ’85/86 Win¬ 
ter season was belatedly celebrat¬ 
ing its 62/26 victory. Talk about 
having a late dinner! 

While we are on the subject of 
the Pilsner, on the team standing 
sheets of the 11th and 16th, guess 
what teams were occupying first 
place? Yes, the Pilsner Powder 
Puffs on Monday and the Pilsner 


Leagues’ annals of high achieve¬ 
ment. Dicks At The Beach; 
Jerry’s Kids; Hunk’s; The Left¬ 
overs; Frantic Finishers; C.C. 
Riders; and Studstore just to 
name a few. Some of these newly 
formed teams are only in their 
first or second season and are 
already challenging the tradi¬ 
tional leaders. 

The Tavern Guild Leagues are 
welcoming more and more new 
younger bowlers into their ranks. 
The baton is slowly, but surely, 
being passed. As the soon-to-be 
old addage goes, bowlers may 
come and bowlers may go, but 
the Tavern Guild Leagues re¬ 
main. 

One reason for this longevity 
may be the caliber of bowlers the 
Tavern Guild Leagues attract, 
bowlers who realize winning isn’t 


'Most likely the only reason a Pilsner team 
has not copped first place on the Thursday 
league is because there isn't a Pilsner team 
in that league.' 


Pin Guins on Wednesday. Most 
likely the only reason a Pilsner 
team has not copped first place 
on the Thursday league is be¬ 
cause there isn’t a Pilsner team 
in that league. 

Pat Conlon and Pat Bonfiglio, 
the co-owners of the Pilsner Inn 
on Church Street, are certainly to 
be commended for their out¬ 
standing support of the gay bowl¬ 
ing leagues. The Pilsner Inn 
sponsors no less than seven teams 
in the Tavern Guild Leagues. 
With that many teams, they could 
easily have a league of their own. 
If a league of their own is not par¬ 
ticularly appealing, then for cer¬ 
tain, when the free advertising 
space becomes available above 
the lanes, as it soon shall be, the 
Pilsner Pats should be among the 
First to hang a handsome 4x4 foot 
poster proclaiming the virtues of 
their establishment, of which 
community spirit is not the least. 

Beyond a doubt, the Pilsner 
teams are hot and always have 
been. Nevertheless, we have some 
relatively new teams whose ex¬ 
ploits on the lanes are burning 
their names into the Tavern Guild 


everything, yet recognize doing 
one’s best as an unwritten stan¬ 
dard. Some of the bowlers who 
best epitomize these fine dual 
ideals are the following TGMBL 
200+ers for 6/16. 


Pat Conlon 236 200 

Keith Ray 217 

Ron Squires 212 

Jay Merriman(608 series) 200 210 

George Stevenson 205 

Hugh Smith 203 

John Seiler 201 


Another group which is to be ! 
commended for its unswerving 
devotion to a grand ideal is the 
Gay Games II Bowling Commit¬ 
tee members. After 14 arduous 
meetings, each of which lasted 
for hours and repeatedly sound¬ 
ed the depths of each member’s 
imagination, a comprehensive 
tournament format was finally 
forged that adequately covers 
every conceivable angle. Thanks 
to the visions and continuing ef¬ 
forts of this dedicated band, we 
can look forward to a GGII Bowl¬ 
ing event that will be a model of ; 
efficiency and fun. • j 

J. R. DeYoung 


PARK BOWL 

TAVERN GUILD BOWLING LEAGUES 

Team Standings and Personal Achievements 


TAVERN GUILD MONDAY 
LEAGUE 

(Week 9 of 20 as of 6/16/86) 


League Average: NA 


1.Pilsner Powder Puffs 

25 

11 

2.Park Bowl 

23 

13 

3-Twin Peaks Tavern 

22 

14 

4.Capricorn Coffees 

21 

15 

5.Frantic Finishers 

19 

17 

6 .Pilsner Pugs 

19 

17 

7.C.C. Riders 

18 

18 

8 .Welcome Home 

17 

19 

9.Foul Play 

16V6 

19V6 

lO.Pendulum Crowd 
11-Pilsner Pointless 

16*4 

191/2 

Sisters 

16 

20 

12-Pecker Heads 

15V£ 20 

13.Studstore 

12 

24 

l4.The Unknown Bowlers 

llVfe 

24V4 


TAVERN GUILD WEDNESDAY 
LEAGUE 

(Week 8 of 20 - as of 6 / 11 / 86 ) 


1-Pilsner Pin Guins 23 9 

2.Play With It, Ltd. 22 10 

3-Pilsner I 21 11 

4.Dicks at the Beach 21 11 

5-Pilsner Potlickers 21 11 

6 . Park Bowl 20 12 

7. Jerry’s Kids 19 13 

8 - Hunk’s 18 14 

9- Pendulum Pandas 17 15 

lO.Ram’s Head Bar 17 15 


11. The Leftovers 

12. Pilsner Pointless 

15 

17 

Sisters 

14 

18 

13.0n the Road Again 

14 

18 

14.Gutter Girls 

131/2 

181/2 

15.The Eagle 

13 

19 

16.0pus I 

13 

19 

17.Moby Dick 

11 

17 

18. Play With It, Always 

19. David Kelsey’s 

10 

22 

Unmentionables 

9 

23 

20.Pin Pricks 

7/2 241/2 


THURSDAY TAVERN GUILD 


LEAGUE 

(Week 8 of 21 - as of 6/12/86) 
League Average: NA 


l.Cock-a-Doodle-Doo 

19 

13 

2.Transformers 

19 

13 

3.Station Studs 

18 i 4 

13Vfe 

4.Ron’s Records 

18 

14 

5.Trax Trash 

18 

14 

6 .S.F. Eagle 

17 

15 

7.Trax-Trix 

17 

15 

8 . Park Bowl 

16 

16 

9.Sticky Bun Bears 

15 

17 

lO.Side Saddle Tramps 

15 

17 

11 .Detour 

14V6 

17V4 

12. Reservation #69 

14 

18 

13.Play With It, Ltd. 

13 

19 

14.The 69 Club II 

12 

20 


Compiled by Jerry R. DeYoung 


The Parade Plays Ball 


by Miss Tery 

YOU MISSED IT! The sports 
event of the year! June 14 at 
7 p.m., the San Francisco Les¬ 
bian and Gay Parade Committee 
and the Special Needs Commit¬ 
tee hosted a very special basket¬ 
ball game to benefit and cele¬ 
brate the existence of special 
needs and disability access serv¬ 
ices at this year’s Parade and 
celebration June 29. 

The Parade Committee show¬ 
ed up in full regalia, bringing its 
own specially trained Parade 
cheerleaders, as well as the 
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, 
who came to cheer for the other 
team. There was only one small 
catch to this basketball game— 
everyone played in wheelchairs. 
The Parade Committee, being 
good sports, decided to try its 
hand against local disabled 
women athletes, and got into 
wheelchairs for the first time for 
an exciting round of wheelchair 
basketball. 

The disabled women athletes, 
‘the girls,” had all been playing 
serious wheelchair basketball for 
years. How would this showdown 
begin? The Parade Committee 
kicked off its shoes and rolled 
onto the court ready to play. The 
“girls” quickly grabbed the ball 
and raced down the court for 
their first basket. Meanwhile, the 
Parade Committee was busy dis¬ 
cussing strategy, with inspiring 
remarks such as, “Where’s the 
motor?” and “How do you get 
this damn thing started?” and 
‘What do you mean, no 
brakes?” heard across the court. 

Although most of them had 
not played in wheelchairs before, 
the real shocker was that some of 
them had never played basketball 
either. A well-known Parade per¬ 


sonality was overheard mutter¬ 
ing: “My, my what a big ball. 
Where’s the basket?” 

“The girls” quickly threw 22 
points on the scoreboard, while 
the Parade Committee figured 
out how to get down the court 
and keep from tipping over. They 
had the referee push them. The 
disabled “girls” team realized 
the Parade Committee needed a 
handicap and were often seen 
handing them the ball during re¬ 
bounds. After falling out of their 
chairs for a while, the Parade 
Committee finally learned how to 
handle the ball and eventually 
scored—12 points on the score- 
board, and a few people asked 
them for dates after the game. 

The Parade Committee cheer¬ 
leaders wet wild with a rendition 
of Give me a T, R, A, S, H, what 
do you get, TRASH, cheer, and 
the Sisters of Perpetual In¬ 
dulgence rallied along with their 
own cheer. Now, what was it they 
said? At any rate, the fans were 
aroused and cheered “the girls” 


on to a 28-12 victory. 

All this good fun and cheer was 
for a good cause because the 
money goes to benefit Special 
Needs services, which provides 
accessibility for people who are 
disabled, visually or hearing im¬ 
paired, elderly, fat, people with 
AIDS or ARC, chronic or other 
illnesses, and others with special 
needs, to enable them to attend 
the event with safety, comfort, 
and dignity. Services provided in¬ 
clude two viewing areas (one in 
front of City Hall and one in front 
of the Orpheum Theater), parking 
on Larkin between McAllister 
and Golden Gate, a van and shut¬ 
tle between the two areas and 
parking, BART access from the 
Civic Center elevator exit, a bar¬ 
ricaded access corridor, metal 
chairs and plastic chairs for 
seating, cots, tables with um¬ 
brellas, food at the stage, water, 
and coordinators on site. As well 
there will be no smoking, scents, 
or perfumes in the special needs 
areas. Anyone who wants to vol¬ 
unteer to help out with Special 
Needs services or who just wants 
more information can call the 
Parade office at 861-5404. • 





1. ALL AMERICAN 
BOYS ROAM THE 
HALLWAYS 

2. JOCKS GALORE 
THEY GO TO 
SCHOOL AT 
THE CAMPUS UP 
THE ROAD 



3. IF YOU COME 
HOME LATE DADDY 
WILL BE WATCHING 
TO PUNISH YOU. 

4. MEET ME IN THE 
TOILET. 

IT HASN’T BEEN 
CLEANED IN 
WEEKS. 

5. VISIT THE 
BASEMENT. WE LL 
FLIP A COIN. 

HEADS YOU’RE MY 
SLAVE - TAILS I’M 
YOUR MASTER. 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 95 

































BAYZ^REAEEPORTERQLASSIFIEDS 



Mm 

W A 

f THOUGHT- 
PROVOKING READ. 

1 

BAY AREA REPORTER 



.♦**♦** 


* * * ♦ ♦ i 


HOUSE SALE!! 

Art, Collectibles, Furn., 
Nic-Nacs, etc. 
Every Wknd. thru July 
623 Hayes St. 10-6 


83 Yamaha 750 cc, Virago 
3700mi, $1700/B0 864-5125 

E27 

Records - Operatic - Rare/OP 
285-0817, eves. ST & Bdwy also 


*+**++*»»+**»+*+«******* 


BANNERS!!! 

We will print ANYTHING on 
a banner up to 8' long! 
Send a banner for any occasion: 
birthdays, anniversaries, get 
well or just dish your sister! 
$9.95 each plus $1 tax p/h to: 
HIGH T & CO. 

P.O. 14096, S.F. 94114 E26 


LEVOLORS 
55% OFF 

Alexander-Long, Inc. 
621-8305 

4111-18th St. (at Castro) 


COMMUNITY 

RENTALS 

• Over 1300 Apts, flats & 
houses each month. 

• Vacancies in all city areas. 

• 2 convenient offices. 

• Open 7 days a week. 

• Gay owned/Gay staffed. 

552-9595 


50% OFF MFC. LIST PRICE 


LEI/OLOR 


!” MINI & Vi MICRO BLINDS 

FREE ESTIMATES! 



Castro —Newly Remod Furnshd $550 Quiet Rear Studio nr 
Rms-$125/wk 861-5300 Days Castro, Dep +Util. 864-4078 

E26 E27 


$1,350 Ocean Front Home, 
3 bd/2 ba. Spec, views. Moss 
Beach 30 min. to SF, Penin. No 
pets 365-6476. E26 



Locally Employed Welcome 




Low Daily and 
Weekly Rates 

ALL GAY 

SAUNA - LOUNGE-SUNDECK 
TV in Room or Share Kitchen 

NEAR CIVIC CENTER 


- HOTEL 7 


417 GOUGH STREET 
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 
(415)431-9131 


Wanted: 1 or 2 him's, her's or it's 
(as the case may be) to share luxe 
post-Vict flat in Richmond Dist. 
Lg. rm, king bed. Everything furn. 
incl linens. Many lived-with an¬ 
tiques. Rich setting. Only slight¬ 
ly decadent. $ 500/mo. Pref. 
mature or retired. Refs. 751-1468. 

E26 

HERMIT'S RETREAT 

Cozy Guerneville studio $195/mo. 
Utils, inc., above river, (707) 
869-9735. No pet. or (415) 
843-8016. Dep. Ref. E26 

$1195 Restored Viet. Flat 
Spacious 3 Br, 2 Fplcs. nr. 
Alamo Square. 563-3031 eb 


BEST POLK ST. ADDRESS 

SMALL FRIENDLY ROOMING 
HOUSE ATMOSPHERE-GAY BLG. 

THE SHIRLEY 

1544 Polk nr. Sacramento 92R-3353 
FROM $75 PER WEEK 


Large Studio $475 Nu. Dec. Sut¬ 
ter/Polk Cpts. 776-6089 E26 

2 Bed., 2 Ba., Fpl., New Drapes, 
New Carpets, Lake Merritt, walk 
to Lakeshore, over 1100 sq. ft. 
$800 - 465-5386 Mgr. E27 

Large studio apt. Potrero Hill. 
Clean/modern, quiet. $525 incl. 
util., laundry. Bill 544-3456 or 
648-5384_ E26 

HOTEL CASA LOMA 
600 FILLMORE STREET 
DAYTIME SPECIAL 
3 HRS. FOR $15 + TAX 
Available only 9AM-10PM 
PRIVATE ROOMS 
HOT SPA SAUNA SUNDECK 
415-552-7100 
EXPIRES 31 JULY 1986, 

EB 


Bunkhouse^pts. 

Office: 419 Ivy Street 
San Francisco 
Mon.-Fri. 1-6 PM 
Or By Appointment 


Commercial Space 
Available for Retail 


2 B.R. 419 Ivy, #15.$500 

Lg. Flat, 633 Hayes St.$750 


Stove, refrigerator, car¬ 
pets and curtains included. 
First and last months rent 
required. No deposits. All 
references checked. Must 
be employed. 

863-6262 


[ San Franciscos Premiere (iuest House 

Bachelor 
Flat 

Luxurious Rooms 
Full Breakfasts • Sundeck 
Phone • Color TV 

Luxury lodging 
for a 

priviledged few 

Walk to Downtown. Polk. 
Castro. Folsom. Opera House. 
Symphony Hall 
415 - 626-0374 * 

Hayes Valley 
location 


DAILY 
, WEEKLY 
I MONTHLY 


i 


THEATRE DISTRICT 

WINTON HOTEL 


445 O'Farrell 

$20 per night 


885-1988 
$75 per week 


CIVIC CENTER HOTEL 

$70/wk & up — $20/day & up 
24-hr. Desk - Switchboard 
Great Transportation 

20-12th St. (nr. Market & Van Ness) 
861-2373 


HOTEL CASA LOMA 
600 FILLMORE STREET 
SUPER SPECIAL 
3 nights ($120 value) for 
$69.95 + tax. Single or double 
incl. Cont. Bkfst. sauna 
hot spa sundeck in S.F.'s oldest 
& best with this ad & 
only by advanced reservation. 
415-552-7100 
EXPIRES 31 JULY 1986. 

* EB 


$75 a week — $20 a night 
For Gays since 1970 

24 Hr. desk 

NATIONAL HOTEL 

1139 Market St. 864 9343 


900 3br. flat, 332 Pierce. No 
pets. 864-4684 1-6 p.m. E26 

$415 Bright Studio, Secure 
Quiet Bldg. w/Sun Roof, Lndry, 
Cable & great neighbors! 719 
Fillmore, 863-4024. E26 


3 Lux flats - Restored Viet. 
Hot Alamo Sq. area. Lower unit: 
patio, yard, large hot tub. 3-4 
bedrms, ca + frml din.rm., lg 
pntry, kit w/dshwsh/disp., indiv 
Indries w/W&D, plush w/w cptng. 
$ 1,300/mo. Prkng avail. Chris. 
861-1555. E27 


$500 — LARGE 
SUNNY STUDIO & 
KITCHEN NOOK 

View, Hdwd. Firs., Cable, Transp. 
600 Fell St., San Francisco 

(415)626-2041 


DONNELLY HOTEL 

Clean - Quiet 

Central to Polk, Folsom, Castro Areas 
$75 wk. & up 

1272 Market Street 
552-3373 


New Grand Apts. 

57 Taylor Street 
Shown: Mon.-Sat., 1-6pm 
STUDIOS $325 up 
2 RM. STUDIOS $400 up 

No Pets 

Employment Required 
Personal References Required 
Kitchen & Bath 
with 

ALL UTILITIES PAID! 

474-5792 



Visiting San Francisco 

Dolores Street 
Bed & Breakfast 

Affordable Rates 
415-861-5887 

or write: 

Marc 

381 Dolores Street 
San Francisco, CA 94110 


t IVY HOTEL 


DAILY • WEEKLY • MONTHLY 

$70 & Up Weekly 

% (415)863-6388 

539 Octavia, S.F. CA 94102 


HOTEL GOTHAM 

SAN FRANCISCO’S CIVIC CENTER 

• Best weekly rates In town 

• Clean, secure—sunny rooms 
with private baths 

• Near Polk Street, Castro Street 
and Folsom Street! 

• Walk to restaurants, bars, 
ballet, opera and theatre 

• Laundry fecilities and 
parking available 

833 TUBE STREET 

(Between Franklin & Gough Sts.) 
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 

★ 418/988-7291 ★ 


SAUNA JACUZZI SUNDECK 
COLOR T V FRIENDLY STAFF 
LOW RATES 


HOTEL CASA LOMA 

600 Fillmore Street 
San Francisco |@j| 
• 4151 55? 7IOC Nffl 




NOW! 

Residence Club 
Winter Rates 
From $99 Per Week 
Limited Availability 

Call Today 


Superior Accomodations in an 
Immaculate European Style Hotel 
Conveniently Located near The 


GOLDEN 
CITY INN 

t ^ DC> e)G^ <rv 


1554 Howard St. 
Between llth& 12th 
411-9176 


GOLDEN 
CITY INN 


Superior Accomodations in an 
maculate European Style Hotel 
,'onveniently Located near The 
Civic Center 
7.50 per night 


1554 Howard St. 
Between I Ith & 12th 
411-9176 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 28, 1966 PAGE 96 


























































































































BAYZ^REAmEPORTERGLASSIFIEDS 


NEED A ROOMMATE 

OUR GAY ROOMMATE SERVICE 
HAS HELPED 1000s OF 
GAY MEN AND LESBIANS 

552-8868 


GAY SHELTER 

Do you need food, work, 
clothing, and a place to stay? 
All this is provided at the new 
U.S. Mission Shelter at 788 
O'Farrell. Come on over or call 
(415) 775-6446. 


Meet 750 men on a luxury 
cruise ship! From $795.00. 

Mark Tourt 

& Travel Int’l 415-673-7245 
Now, Voyager 415-626-1169 


Erholm House | 

bed and breakfast 


In Bellingham. Wo Bus to Expo 11 

Affordable Rotes 

| for Reservations or Info.: Coll (206)733-4091 



Hong Kong 7 days/5 nights $799 
Hawaii 4 days/3 nights $299 
(above rate all include round trip 
air and hotel) 

AIRTICKET—INT’L & DOMESTIC 
(lowest in town) 

KNC Travel 753-1700 


VALLEJO -GWM 33, seeks 30+ 
M/F to share new 3 bdrm home. 
Must be employed, responsible, 
clean. $280 mo. + util. Available 
now. (707) 648-3021 evenings, 
Pref. Non-Smoker. E27 

Roommate Wanted Share Large 
3 bedroom in Iwr. Pacific Heights 
300 mo. + utilities. 922-9971 

E27 

$350/mo. includes food and 
good people. No drugs. Close in. 
863-2079, Don. E27 

Clean & Responsible GWM, 24, 
seeks housing in/near Sunnyvale. 
Non-smoker, non-drinker. Call Ed. 
266-5353._ E27 

$350. 3 br. home w/view, deck, 
quiet. Share w/Prof. GWM, 32, 
sunny Brisbane, 468-5866. 

E26 

ROOMMATE WANTED 

to share 5 rm. house in Potrero 
Hill, 2 brm. 2 ba., deck, yard, 
W&D, DW, ample parking non- 
smoker. Avail. 7-1-86, $360/mo. 
+ util. 552-1027. E26 

Share Ige. lux. home. Castro area. 
Elegant bdrm. 861-2551. E26 

EL CERRITO HOUSE 

Quiet GWM, 40, 527-8095. 
$285 F + L, $150. Sec. 
negotiable. 

E26 

Apt. to Share $150 673-1284 
E26 

Prv. Rm & Bath Share Home/Yard. 
View, Potr. HI. Ev. 7-9 282-3440 
E26 

Share 3 BR, 2 BA, Quiet Apt. 
Oakland. $250 + dep. 530-8557 

E27 

Sh/FIt BV Pk $250 864-8597 
E30 

STAN & OLLIE: 

The Roommate Specialists 
Instant Phone Referrals 
(415) 528-8118 

E26 


TRAVEL FORECAST 


TOKYO/JAL.$6301 

HONGKONG/JAL.$6301 

SINGAPORE/JAL.$7501 

NEW YORK.$99ow 

150 Powsll St., Mezz. D. SF. CA 94102 

MICHAEL 415-788-7232 


Visiting 
Expo ’86!! 

Bed & Breakfast— 
$60 (Canadian) per night. 
10minute walk to Expo 
For reservations call: 

(604) 687-3768 



MAGNIFICENT MONTCLAIR 
contemporary, just minutes from 
SF, Bay view, wine cellar, fabu¬ 
lous master bath & gourmet kit¬ 
chen. $337,500. Rosie-Agent. 
463-9500 or 846-5264. 

E27 

One-quarter int. Russian Riv. 
Home, Northwood above flood 
line. 3 Br. 3 Vi ba. wet bar, deck, 
furnished, priv. beach, 6 yr old 
2200 sq ft golf course frt river 
back. Home: (415) 587-5370; 
River: (707) 865-2052. E26 

MOUNT SHASTA AREA 
20 ac. Spect. Pano. Vu of Mts. 
Private. On Cnty. Rd. nr power & 
beaut. Lake Siskiyou. $27,900. 
Terms. (415) 626-6196 E26 




Alng Fta^Vo. LAKE TAHOE. C». 


JULY 

SPECIAL 


with this ad 

$0095 PerCpI.Q. bed 
fcO Sun.-Thu. Exc. Hols. 
Quiet Location • Near Casinos • Free 
Casino Shuttle Bus • Free Casino Strip 
• In-Room Coffee • D/D Phones • Friendly 
Service • Immaculately Clean Rooms 
Expires 7131186 

(916)544-4281 SO. LAKE TAHOE 

3988 Pine, left on Park, left on Pine. 


VACATION 

Russian River Lg. 2 bedroom 
w/deck on Old Cazadero 
$100/day—$400/wk. 

Call The Special 626-5876 




B&BINN'S.F. 

WELL KNOWN, UPPER MARKET. 
EXCELLENT LOCATION, 
OCCUPANCY & CLIENTELE. 
WELL PRICED. TERMS. 
552-6962 


We’re Looking For A 
Few Good Men. 

MODELS/COMPANIONS 

RICHARD OF SF 
821-3457 




Men, ages 25-50, wanted for art¬ 
istic nude photo project. Write: 
P.0. Box 15518, SF 94115. E26 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 
People with early KS needed for 
clinical trials with interferon. 
922-4800._ E26 

Fremont nude houseboy wanted, 
blond, good body, 18-30 
795-9414 E28 


Travel Agent Needed — Full or 
Part Time. Expanding business 
needs partner, too! Orion Travel, 
563 Castro_ E29 

Outside sales & telemarketing 
positions at The Gay Book (415) 
863-2766._ E29 

NGLTF Development Director, 
D.C. Office to design/oversee 
development/fundraising activi¬ 
ties. Grantwriting exp. preferred. 
Send resume/cover letter: NGLTF 
1517 U St., NW, Washington, DC 
20009._ E26 

Body Shop Models/Escorts needs 
Blacks, Latins, well hung men and 
bodybuilders. John, San Fran. 
563-7588, South Bay (408) 
977-0310._ E26 

Houseboy needed by Nudist Pro¬ 
fessor with spectacular view 
house & garden in Santa Cruz. 
(408) 475-0867 collect. E26 

2 Male Dancers for Pat Mont¬ 
clair's new revue "Bazzaz 86". 
Auditions Sat, June 28, 3-6 p.m. 
Kimo's, 1351 Polk St._ E26 

SF AIDS FOUNDATION 
TRAINING COORDINATOR 

General Statement of Duties: Under direc¬ 
tion of the Project director, AIDS Home 
Care and Hospital Training Project, Califor¬ 
nia Nurses Association; and Northern 
California Services Director, San Francisco 
AIDS Foundation is responsible for the im¬ 
plementation of San Francisco AIDS Foun¬ 
dation's part of the California Nurses 
Association's statewide AIDS Home Care 
and Hospital Training Project. A program 
to train key health care providers to train 
others in their community throughout the 
state. Salary: $24,440- $25,940 plus 
fringe benefits. Minimum Qualifications: 
B.S. in Nursing with licensure as a 
registered nurse in California. One year of 
experience in a hospital or home care set¬ 
ting and at least one year of experience in 
educating health care providers. Must 
have willingness to commit to extensive 
travel. Must have a serviceable privately 
owned behicle for travel (mileage reim¬ 
bursed). Submit letter of application and 
resume to: Personnel, San Francisco AIDS 
Foundation, 333 Valencia Street/4th Floor, 
San Francisco, CA 94103 by 5 p.m. June 
27. E26 

Erotic nude perf. for adult gay 
cinema. Apply 729 Bush. 11 AM 
-4 PM. EB 


The Body is Your Temple 
Keep It Healthy! Class in 
Self Healing/Spirit-Body 
Communication for Gay Men 
& Women. Charles 839-2421 
E26 


Therapeutic Bodywork by Sports 
Chiropractor and Certified 
Masseur $25/hr. by appt. Mike, 
821-0181._ E26 

EAST BAY MASSAGE 

Nonsexual*Bob 843-1410»$25 
E26 

Swedish Massage-San Jose 
$25/60 min. ★Certified^ 
Anthony (408) 288-6169, same 
day appt. Checks OK! E26 

CERTIFIED MASSEUR 
John Morrison 386-0152 
$25/90 min. Nonsexual 


SPECIALIZED GYM 
INSTRUCTION 

SUPERVISED PRIVATE INSTRUCTION 
FOR BB. TRAINING FOR VARIOUS 
SPORTS, BODY SHAPING, WEIGHT 
GAIN. DIETING. LOSS OF BODY FAT 
INCLUDES COMPUTERIZED BODY 
COMPOSITION & PERSONALIZED 
BODY ASSESSMENT 

CALL COURTLAND WRIGHT 
(415) 864-0475 (Before 7PM) 
(415) 928-3098 (After 7PM) 



Stress Reduction/ 
Strength Development 



MAX MARSHALL 

Certified Massage Practitioner 

( 415 ) 821-2351 

Swedish • Shiatsu • Polarity 
Application ft Instruction 




Specifically designed for 
Athletes and Dancers. 

1 hour session $35.00 
By appointment 
763-8794 

JESSE VARGAS- 
Certified practitioner and 
instructor of 
Sports Massage. 
Member of SMTI. 
Director of Sports Massage 
for Gay Games II. 


TOUCH IS HEALING 



Yes, I’m still massaging after all 
these years & I’m even better now 
Try Me. Thorough, relaxing, nurtur¬ 
ing. Trial Session—20 min.I$10 
Certified Therapist/from $30lhr. 
OLIVER 552-4432 



CAREER COUNSELING 
JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES 

Identify your career goals and 
learn how to achieve them. 

Call Tom Walther, MHA 
(415) 626-7780 

10 years experience 



AFFORDABLE 
LEGAL SERVICE 

BANKRUPTCY $175 
WILLS CORPS PARTNERSHIPS 
LAW OFFICE OF 

SCOTT V. SMITH 
863-1417 


FINANCIAL 

PROBLEMS? 

FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION 
WITH EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY 

Walter R. Nelson 864-0368 


SUNSHINE MOVERS 


Lowest Legal Rates 
Expert Piano Moving 
24 Hr./7 Day Service 
Licensed & Fully Insured 
Corporate and Office 
Packing with Care 


FOR FREE ESTIMATE 



821-9440 

CAL T 140575 


Planetary Movers 
We move at warp speed! 
652-7787 T144899 


E31 


Hauling 

Garage/Basement Cleaning 
864-8583 Leo E30 

HAULING ON WITH RON 

Reasonable Rates 285-9846 
EB 

Save $ You do the work, we do 
the driving. Sm./Lgr. Truck 
$15/25 HR. 558-8863 E30 

Midnight Cowboys 
Hauling • Relocating • Delivery 
Prompt Service 387-6734 

E27 

Hauling, etc. with Vs ton PU 
$30 a load. Bill 441-1054 

E26 


Good Hauling 775-8062 


E26 


Who Ya' Gonna Call? 
NoBusters! 98% of our 
moves are breakage free. 
652-7787 Planetary T144899 


it I 


When you have 
to be sure 
that your move 
is right” 

Specializing in offices 
and households. 
Licensed • Insured 

GEMINI 


MOVERS 


( 415 ) 929-8609 

(CAL. T142B74) 


Lotus Hauling to the dump 
Sm.-Lge. truck 626-3131 


Light Hauling 

Garage & 

Basement Cleaning 

(415)695-0364 

ALAN 


Where's the Beef? 

Need a piano moved? 

We got the beef! Call 
Planetary 652-7787 T144899 

E31 


HE-MAN HAULING 

Light Hauling • Yard Work 

Free Estimates 

Gary * (415) 931-1429 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26. 1986 PAGE 97 












































































































































BAYZa\REA[j3EP0RTERGLASSIFIEDS 


SAME COMPANY 
NEW NAME 



S.F. 415/567-6146 
MARIN 415/499-0500 
SANTA ROSA 707/585-8885 

MC/VISA_ CaiPUCr 140305 


Save 15%-20% on Moving! 
Intergalactic moving with¬ 
out astronomical prices. 
652-7787 Planetary T144899 


Fine Carpentry 
Construction 

INTERIOR DESIGN 

( 415 ) 467-1292 


THE 

PAPERHANGERS 

Wallpapering, Wall Prep, Painting 
References available 
(415)861-3338 


ROOFING 

All types - Complete or Patch 
Quality Work • References 
3-Year Guarantee 

JOHN 641-8304 


Plumbcrazy 
Plumbing & Electrical 
Building Maint. Co. 
Call Steve 467-1532 


TILING AND PLUMBING 

at its best, with 20 years to prove it. 

Tile tubs—all 3 walls $450 

(incl. remove old wall & new) 

New one-lever showers $185 

Xtract-fan thru wall $250 

FREE ESTIMATE • 24 HOUR EMERGENCY 

821-0644 


Kelly’s Hauling 
Service 

Large Truck/Experienced Men 

861-2216»431-6566 


Swan Delivery & 

Hauling to the dump 861-8612 
Steve. E30 

One Big Man, One Big Truck 
$ 20/hr. plus. Fred 931-0193 

E31 


Norman’s Repair 

• PLUMBING 
•ELECTRICAL 
•CARPENTRY 

626-3737 


PEACHES PAINTING 

LOW COST INTERIOR EXTERIOR PAINTING 
QUALITY WORKMANSHIP 
FREE ESTIMATES 


TILEMAN 

Ceramic tile work, small jobs, free 
est. call 626-3131, ext. 300 

E28 


Floor Refinishing 

Installation — Repair 

BOBDIRSA 861-3241 #353 


★ Carpets Steam Cleaned ★ 
Studio $35 —add $15 per room 
Hugh Casey (415) 441-2730 


☆ GARDENER ☆ 

Flowers, Lawn Maintenance 
Trees, Shrubs, Roses Pruned 
Disease & Insect Control 

Complete Garden Service 

Dale Thomas Griep 

584-2730 


The Magic 
Broom 

HOUSECLEANING • PERSONAL 
SHOPPER SERVICES 
Reliable, efficient, meticulous, 
courteous & friendly! Call about 
our new personal shopper ser¬ 
vice—the service that can make 
your everyday life easier! 
Reasonable Rates/References 

Paul 864-1285 



Grand Cen 
and Mail 2 

626 - 111 &!S 

519 Casti^H* 1 " " 

dMMMMah 



Precision Tuning 
John Walters 


3077 California, SF, CA 94U5 



EXPERT CARPENTRY 

Have a bunch of small jobs 
or a large one? Call us in. 

25 years of friendly experience. 
FREE ESTIMATES! 

285-2850 


PLUMBING 
TO YOUR NEEDS 

24 Hour Emergency Service 
• Reliable • 

From a whole house to small jobs. 
QUOTATIONS FREE! 

641-1718 


Hutchins 

Construction 

General Contractor 

626-3131 


CHRISTOPHER 
INNOVA TIONS 

Indoor Painting — Minor 
Home Repairs 
Indoor Garden Scape 
Plant Care 

CALL 415-864-6252 


CABINETMAKERS 

ERIC & 
DANIEL 


BATHROOM 

REMODELING 

DAVID & GARY 

(415) 863*5064 

I8YRS. EXPERIENCE 


ELECTRICIAN 

Commercial/Residential 

GARY & DAVID 

(415)863-5064 

License No. 302076 


I SERVICE CALL WORK 
I FAST RESPONSE 
I EMERGENCY REPAIRS 
I ON-TIME. QUALITY WORK 

Cristopher 
& Electric 

UC N0 282-3003 S.F. 

1 4i? 7 °i 6 547-6669 E.BAY 


Painting ★ Plastering 
Sheetrock ★ Ben, 668-1535 
E26 

Decks 

& Only Decks 
Von Meyer 621-3690 


LARRY PETTIT 
CARPENTRY 


Top Drawer House Cleaning 
SERVICES PLUS 
Refs. 415-864-2125 Randy 

E26 

Housecleaning Frank 285-2754 
E28 

WORD PROCESSING 

Civic Center, 1005 Market, 
Suite 403, 863-1536. 

E27 

LYNDA THE GARDENER 

Quality work, Reasonable 
Free est. Lynda 759-1335 

E28 

Experienced Housecleaner 
Donald 863-9053 


Landscaping • Tree pruning 
sprinklers • fences • 8 yrs. exp. 
621-5126 John 

E30 

HOUSECLEAN A-1 REFS. 

Bill, 525-2028, All Bay Area 


Let me clean your abode. 
Chris 673-4490 

E28 

A-1 HOUSECLEANING 

Excellent work at a reasonable 
rate. Three years experience. 
Dean 550-8683 (Exc. Refs.) 

E26 


WORDTUNERS 
WORD PROCESSING 

Resumes, merge letters, small- 
business support, term papers, 
manuscripts. Reasonable rates 
plus free disk storage. We're 
writer-owned/operated. 
648-2321 


HOUSECLEANING 

Expd. Rel. Exc Refs. 2 persons 
Dlxe Service 641-0139 Edward 

E26 

For those with Discriminating 
Taste: Automotive Detailing 
Care Service by Randy 
(415) 695-0364 E26 


For all your party needs! 

FIRST CALL CATERING 

(415) 861-8454 or 861-8540 

Bartenders*Picnics» Brunches 
Waitpersons • Barbecues 
Versatile, exp., professionals 


Lei Us Do The 
Work For You 

make ready 415/561-9115 

Serving the Multi-Housing 


MAID SERVICE $25.00 & up 

weekly, semi-monthly 

PAINTING 
CARPET STEAMING 

Over six years in 
the business of serving 
the multi housing industry. 

415/561-9115 


CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM 


Deadline for each Thursday's paper is NOON MONDAY. 

Payment MUST accompany ad. 

No ads taken over the phone. 

If you have a question, call (415) 861-5019. 

D-Bold Bold Caps 

Stops Here Stops Here Stops Here 


NO. OF ISSUES 


CLASSIFICATION . 


AMOUNT ENCLOSED 


CLASSIFIEDS 

CAN BE SET 

IN THESE TYPEFACES 

The above three lines are more 
expensive than the lines you are now 
reading, but they pay off in increased 
readership. eo 


FIRST LINE.$4.50 

ALL SUBSEQUENT LINES.$3.00 

ALL CAPS 

Double price of line for 19 spaces. 

ALL BOLD 

Double price of line for 16 spaces. 

ALL DOUBLE BOLD 
Triple price of line for 12 spaces. 

Display Rates Upon Request 

METHOD OF PA YMENT [0g>] 

□ Cash □ Visa 

□ Money Order □ MasterCard 

□ Personal Check 

(Minimum $10.00 charge on Visa and MasterCard) 


Deliver or mail with payment to: Bay Area Reporter, 1528 15th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 


BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 98 























































































































































































flffS* 1 ca«j^ 


ILLUSTRATIONS: Randy West 



BAY AREA REPORTER JUNE 26, 1986 PAGE 99 












WELCOME TO 


0)4 

''' ••••••••••••••••• 

“Our 4th Anniversary” 

THE FIRST- 
THE BEST! 

THOUSANDS OF REAL MEN 
WAITING FOR YOU TO CALL 


NO ACTORS • NO SCRIPTS 

TRY THE CONNECTER FREE 

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS 


• You must be 18 or over to use this • You will hear ringing followed by a • When you hear the “beep” tone you 

service. dial tone (if you don’t get a dial tone are connected to another caller. Say 

• Call one of the following numbers right away continue ringing for five hello and begin speaking. If you are not 

between 1 PM & 9 PM June 26 through minutes). connected immediately wait at least 

July 2 ONLY! • WHEN YOU HEAR THE DIAL TONE five minutes. If you need to call back for 

• J/O Line (415) 346-6969 PUNCH IN THIS I.D. CODE 10-00-000 any reason wait one minute. 

• Meet Someone Line (415) 346-6910 RAPIDLY AND EVENLY (from a touch- • PLEASE—Never hang up on another 

• S&M/Leather Line (415) 346-6920 tone phone only). caller. Politely say “goodbye” if you 

don’t wish to talk for any reason. 

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE CALL: 1415) 346-6277 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO JOIN THE CONNECTER, CALL (415) 346-8747 

HEAR WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSING-CALL TODAY! 

The Connecter will assume no responsibility or liability for anything that may occur as a result of anyone you may meet through our service! 


• You will hear ringing followed by a 
dial tone (if you don’t get a dial tone 
right away continue ringing for five 
minutes). 

• WHEN YOU HEAR THE DIAL TONE 
PUNCH IN THIS I.D. CODE 10-00-000 
RAPIDLY AND EVENLY (from a touch- 
tone phone only).